Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/12/24): Familiar Order, Imanaga Starting

I’ll be honest with you, folks, I don’t feel much like writing about tonight’s matchup. Not long ago, I got the news that a friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. Michael K. Owens was one of the best people I’ve ever met, a dude with a heart of gold who never met a stranger and always went out of his way to make everyone feel special. My first time in a suite at Wrigley, first time sitting in the front row there, and first Wu-Tang Clan concert all came with Mike at my side.

Maybe the Cubs can win one for Mike as they return to the site of the greatest victory in baseball history. Interestingly enough, this is also the one-year anniversary of the last time I was in Cleveland, though that was for an LL Cool J concert and not a ballgame. Shōta Imanaga has been a rock star since he first stepped on the mound and he’ll look to build his Rookie of the Year resume to the point where he can maybe finish a distant second to Paul Skenes.

The rotation has been a constant all season, but the Cubs’ improved play can be traced to a lineup that is scoring more runs and just generally looking better. Miguel Amaya and Pete Crow-Armstrong had been hitting very poorly into July, leading to questions about just how much leeway was too much. Both have been stellar over their last 50+ plate appearances, however, meaning there’s little reprieve for opposing pitchers.

This lineup would have looked a little weird back in June, but we should all be pretty used to it by now. Ian Happ is leading off in left, followed by Michael Busch at first and Seiya Suzuki in right. Cody Bellinger is the DH, Isaac Paredes is at third, Nico Hoerner mans second base, and Dansby Swanson plays short. Crow-Armstrong patrols center and Amaya is behind the dish.

On the hill for the Guardians is Ben Lively, who is not related to the star of box office smash It Ends with Us and wife of Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds. Some might prefer to see Blake Lively out there, especially since Bebo — which is what his friends call him — has gotten pretty strong results so far. The 32-year-old manages to get by with a 90 mph fastball in part due to getting 87th percentile extension from his 6-foot-4 frame and keeping the ball out of the nitro zone.

Lively also has a very good sweeper and a solid curveball, locating both at the edges to get batters looking. Out of 97 pitchers with at least 100 innings this season, Lively’s 18.8% called-strike percentage is tied for 10th. So while he’s not going to blow anyone away, he’s got some of that Kyle Hendricks craftiness to his game. And much like Hendricks, Lively is prone to giving up homers with greater frequency than most pitchers.

Opponents have tagged him for 19 dingers in 20 starts, with nine allowed over his last seven outings. Lively is one of those guys who’s really frustrating to face because it seems like batters should jump all over him, yet he keeps grinding out solid efforts. He’s given up more than four earned runs just once this season, a little over a month ago in Detroit, so maybe the Cubs can make it twice tonight.

First pitch is at 5:40pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.

There was no image available when I posted this and I’m heading out the door, may update later.