Chicago Cubs Lineups: Heyward, Giambrone Lead Off Split-Squad Action

The Cubs’ third day of live Cactus League play features split squad affairs, with most of the regulars staying home to face the Padres (Manny Machado!) at Sloan Park while another contingent heads to Camelback Ranch to take on the Dodgers. Jon Lester will get the start in Mesa with righty Christian Bergman taking the bump on the road.

Slated to follow Lester are Brian Duensing, Brandon Kintzler, George Kontos, Randy Rosario, and Duane Underwood Jr. As for the other game, well, you can count on a similar parade of less well-known names. The lineups are more of the same, with Jason Heyward leading off a group that includes Daniel Descalso, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, and Willson Contreras.

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After that come Phillip Evans, Ryan Court, Charcer Burks, and D.J. Wilson; not exactly well-known commodities for most fans, but that’s the way it works at this early juncture.

As you can see from the lineup cards posted above, the away team is not a big draw. Though Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber are making the trip, they are surrounded by prospects and other non-roster invitees. But again, that’s part of the fun of spring training. Sure, everyone wants to see their favorites up close, but it’s also cool for the other guys to get their moment in the sun.

Who knows, one or two of those prospects might really blossom over the next couple years. Or maybe someone will make a name for himself and catch on with another team.

Both games are at 2:05pm CT, with the contest at Sloan available on 670 The Score and the Dodgers’ call of the Camleback tilt streaming on MLB.com. If you subscribe to the audio service though MLB’s At-Bat app ($19.99/year), you can get all the audio from every team throughout the entire season.