Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/22/22): Smyly Pitching, Morel 3B, Velázquez CF

The Chicago Cubs are good again. Well, maybe not quite, but they’re not nearly as bad as their record. And they’re 17-11 since the All-Star break, which represents a very nice .607 winning percentage.

They’ve gotten there by beating the teams they should be beating and even some that you’d think they wouldn’t. The Brewers would certainly fit in that last category and the Cubs took 2-of-3 from them over the weekend. The St. Louis Cardinals are playing very well right now, so this series will absolutely be a good test for the Cubs. The last time they met — earlier this month — the Cardinals swept the Cubs.

Drew Smyly has been pitching like the guy we thought the Cubs were getting when they signed him this offseason. In fact, he’s actually been a bit better than he was last year with the Braves. In his last three games, Smyly has a 1.06 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just three walks. He’ll need to be near perfect tonight if the Cubs are going to have a chance, particularly since their bullpen got stretched pretty thin over the weekend.

Nick Madrigal leads off playing second, Willson Contreras is catching, Ian Happ is in left, Seiya Suzuki is in right, and Franmil Reyes is DH. Nico Hoerner moves back down the lineup batting sixth playing short, Nelson Velazquez is in center, P.J. Higgins is at first, and Christopher Morel is at third.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm CT tonight from beautiful and historic Wrigley Field.

Here is tonight's #Cubs starting lineup for the series opener vs. St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/7qlm7Vziab

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 22, 2022