D-backs Starting Lineup & Game Preview: Corbin on Hill Against Jon Lester, Rosales Starts at Shortstop
The Diamondbacks are in Chicago today to start a three-game series against the Cubs (series preview). The series comes at a time of inconsistent performance from the D-backs. They finished July with a 10-14 record, the only sub-.500 month of the 2017 season. And August doesn’t get any easier for the Snakes as they face the prospect of the toughest schedule of the second half in all of MLB. A series win in Chicago would be a great way to start the final month of the summer.
Patrick Corbin (8-9, 4.36 ERA) will take the mound today for the D-backs. Believe it or not, he’s been the D-backs best starter since the All-Star break with a 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. Yep, even better than Zack Greinke.
I just peeked at the Cubs starting lineup today and, as you might have guessed, they’re rolling out all right-handed batters against Corbin, with the exception of first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Corbin has a .309/.362/.510 slash-line against righties so far this year. It’s going to be important for him to be efficient with his pitches today, throwing strikes but moving the ball around in the zone to try and limit hard contact against this potent righty-heavy lineup.
The Cubs roll out LHP Jon Lester (8-6, 3.88 ERA) today against the D-backs. Righties are slashing .256/.325/.458 against Lester, compared to .184/.207/.262 verses lefties. That means Jake Lamb will not be in the starting lineup today and, instead, we’ll see newly acquired D-back Adam Rosales starting at shortstop and hitting third in the lineup. Rosales isn’t typically a guy you’d see hitting in the middle of the order — he’s primarily hit ninth this season with Oakland — but he does have a .338 OBP verses left-handed pitchers.
Correction: Brandon Drury is at third base and @DanielDescalso is at second base. pic.twitter.com/GFEd85fRiN
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 1, 2017
