After a lot of speculation during the last week, the Chicago Cubs lineup for Game 1 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals is set.
Here’s the lineup that will go up against hard-throwing righty Stephen Strasburg.
Here is tonight's #Cubs starting lineup!
NLDS Game 1 preview: https://t.co/6f55IfHoHS #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/cZaYOKZvjG
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 6, 2017
The Cubs don’t have a lot of experience against Strasburg, having 106 career at-bats against him on the current roster. Jason Heyward has the most success (15-for-37), hitting .405/.463/.595, that’s a 1.058 OPS. Almost all of that came when Heyward was with the Atlanta Braves. Anthony Rizzo has the second-most at-bats against him with 13.
Strasburg has made five career starts against the Cubs and the last two times he’s pitched seven innings, allowing a total of three earned runs in the two games. That includes his seven-inning outing on June 28, when he surrendered two earned runs on four hits. He made 10 starts after this year’s All-Star break and he had an unbelievable 0.86 ERA.
Meanwhile, here’s what the Nationals have done against Kyle Hendricks.
Game 1 #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/90YPHbHtwb
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 6, 2017
In Hendricks’ only start against the Nationals this season, he pitched seven innings and allowed three earned runs, two coming from home runs.