Jon Jay leading off is a real thing. Joe Maddon will keep riding it while it works, slotting Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Willson Contreras after.
Kyle Schwarber bats fifth, while Ian Happ returns to hit sixth and play second. Jason Heyward and Javy Baez round out the order.
Jon Lester has been fantastic here in the second half, earning wins in his first three starts since allowing 10 runs in two-thirds of an inning to close the first half against Pirates. His most recent start was a weird one, though, as Lester hit his first home run and notched his 2,000th strikeout, but ran up a high pitch could and couldn’t make it through the 5th inning for the win.