Chicago Cubs Lineup: Hendricks on the Mound, the Regulars Return

Kyle Hendricks (15-7, 2.03 ERA) takes the mound today for the Chicago Cubs as the hottest pitcher in baseball. He just keeps winning and lowering his ERA. His last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals came one hit shy of a no-hitter. He gave up a lead-off home run in the top of the ninth inning but still got the win. The last time Kyle lost a game was way back on July 26 against the White Sox. In fact, since the All-Star break Kyle is 8-1 with a 1.33 ERA.

Joe Maddon has had some fun with the lineup the last two days, mixing in mostly bench players to give the regulars a bit of rest since clinching the division on Thursday. Well, today he’s back to a more conventional lineup. Hopefully they feel good and rested and ready to bring home the series split.

Joe has Miguel Montero in today behind the plate and catching for Kyle Hendricks. He’s been playing Miguel a bit more lately than Willson. That’s mainly because Miguel has been playing so well, both offensively and on defense . He’s batting .348 in his last eight games and had a walk-off home run in Friday’s dramatic, come-from-behind win.

The Cubs looked a little sluggish yesterday, in a game I’ve dubbed ‘the hangover game,’ but that was to be expected after the partying that happened on Friday. If you liked the postseason gear they wore on the field, you can get it now on Amazon. Both the ‘Made For October’ shirt and the ‘Postseason 2016’ hat are available.

Here’s today’s Chicago Cubs Lineup.