Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/14/21): Contreras Leads Off, Marisnick in CF, Alcántara at SS, Arrieta Starting
Willson Contreras leads off as the Cubs open the series against the Mets, followed by Kris Bryant in left, Anthony Rizzo at first, and Patrick Wisdom at the hot corner. Jake Marisnick is in center, Jason Heyward is in right, Sergio Alcántara is at short, and Eric Sogard is at second.
Jake Arrieta is coming off of an excellent performance against the Padres in which he went toe-to-toe with Yu Darvish and walked away with a no-decision as the Cubs won. After two games in which he’d walked more than he struck out, Arrieta had six K’s with one walk and limited the Pads to a single run. He may not need to be quite that sharp tonight, but it sure would help.
Mets lefty David Peterson is facing the Cubs for the second time this season and the visitors probably couldn’t ask for a better host on their first night in New York. The 25-year-old is having a rough season, putting up a 1-5 record with a 6.32 ERA that isn’t much worse than his peripherals indicate.
While bad luck may be partly to blame, Peterson has walked too many batters and it’s costing him when he makes a mistake in the zone. With at least three runs allowed in his last four starts, you have to feel like the Cubs will be able to get to him again. Though they didn’t homer in that earlier matchup, they tallied six total runs on four hits and two walks.
Peterson’s big issue has been the breaking stuff, particularly the slider he throws nearly a quarter of the time. It’s already cost him 7 runs this season, then he’s lost another two on the fastball. His sinker and change have been relatively effective, just not enough to make up for the others. As a result, lefties are tagging him for a .349 average, .419 OBP, and .388 wOBA.
Though right-handed batters are only hitting .250, their .366 wOBA indicates they’re doing plenty of damage when they do hit it. This feels like a good night for Bryant to flex a little.
First pitch from Citi Field is set for 6:10pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Here is tonight's #Cubs starting lineup in New York.#CubTogether pic.twitter.com/OcZaUhPd7I
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 14, 2021
