Chicago Cubs Lineup: Schwarber DH, Jimenez in Left, Heyward Slides to Sixth

The Chicago Cubs take on WBC Team Italy today at Sloan Park at 1:05 PM MT. Kyle Schwarber will slot into the leadoff spot, from which he went 1-for-3 in yesterday’s game, including a triple that saw him hustle nicely around the bags.

Speaking of the game yesterday, Joe Maddon had Jason Heyward down in the fifth spot and he looked much more comfortable there then in the leadoff spot. You’ll recall that Maddon had Heyward leading off to start this Spring in an effort to get him some more at-bats. The right fielder responded to the move yesterday by going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, 2 runs and 3 RBI. Hopefully he can continue that level of production moving forward.

John Lackey will get his first start of the Spring today. Expect to see him go only two innings, so be sure to get there early if you hope to see him.

Here’s the rest of today’s Chicago Cubs lineup:

#Cubs lineup vs Italy: Schwarber DH, La Stella 3B, Riz 1B, Zo 2B, Russell SS, Heyward RF, Montero C, Jimenez LF, Jay CF

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) March 7, 2017