It sure feels better to be on the right side of a shutout, which the case for the Cubs in the series opener against the Pirates last night. More of the same in this one will lower that magic number and allow David Ross to plan his playoff rotation more carefully, though tonight may feature some interesting pitching decisions.
Ian Happ leads things off in center, followed by Willson Contreras behind the plate and Anthony Rizzo at first. Javy Báez is back in the cleanup spot after being relegated to the bottom third of the order for a whole game, then it’s Kyle Schwarber in left, David Bote at third, and Cam Maybin in right.