Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/30/24): Imanaga Starting
The Cubs head into this one winners of three straight and looking like an entirely different team capable of scoring at will. Though the odds remain stacked heavily against them, they keep doing just enough to keep us from writing them off completely. To that end, this weekend could determine how worthwhile the final month of the season will be.
Stacking wins won’t matter much of the Braves keep winning as well, but Atlanta is in Philly to take on the NL East leaders. The Phillies took the first contest on Thursday and a sweep, however improbable, could go a long way toward closing that five-game Wild Card gap. Of course, the Cubs need to win as well.
That’s been the case for them more often than not when Shota Imanaga takes the bump, and he’s got a favorable matchup in this one. As a team, the Nats are 26th in MLB with an 85 wRC+ against southpaws. If the bats can be anywhere near as productive as we saw in Pittsburgh, Imanaga can cruise.
The lineup is exactly what you’d guess, so really no need to break it down here. Check the card below just to make you, but I bet you could name them all correctly.
Nats starter Jake Irvin is a big hoss with a 94 mph fastball and an 81 mph curve that lands higher in the zone than most. His sinker gets him into trouble because it tends to stay up to the glove side and over the plate, then he’s got a cutter that stays high in the zone as well. Cubs hitters might see the occasional changeup or slider, just not enough to really dive into.
Irvin is a strike-thrower, so the Cubs can be aggressive in this one. They may need to be since he won’t beat himself with walks. He will, however, give up his share of homers. Of the 25 longballs Irvin has surrendered so far, 15 have come in his last nine starts. I really like the way this game sets up for a group that has been punishing just about every mistake for the last several days and it looks like a great opportunity for more crooked numbers.
First pitch is at 5:45pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
