Chicago Cubs Lineup: Arrieta on the Hill, Contreras Catching, Baez at 2B

Did you know that the 2016 MLB Postseason schedule is out?! This season is about to get even more exciting, so hold on tight.

The Chicago Cubs (79-45) play the San Diego Padres (53-72) tonight in another late game for folks east of the Mississippi. It’ll be worth staying up for though as Jake Arrieta (15-5, 2.75 ERA) will be pitching and hoping to get the Cubs to the 80-win mark with a victory. Jake has won three straight games for the Cubs but he, rather surprisingly, has the lowest post-All-Star fWAR of all Cubs starting pitchers at 0.4 (FanGraphs). That’s not a knock on Jake, but rather a tip of the cap to the rest of the Cubs’ starting pitchers who, combined, lead the league with a 2.40 ERA.

Joe is going with Javier Baez in at second base tonight and shifting Ben Zobrist out to left field. Jason Heyward, who homered last night in his first game back from a four-game rest, lines up in right field for the Cubs.

Willson Contreras is catching for Jake again tonight. This is the second time in a row that Contreras is catching for him and it’s a great sign that the Cubs pitching staff is really starting to trust him behind the plate.

Here’s tonight’s Chicago Cubs lineup: