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The Chicago Cubs are 13-10, winning six of their last eight and the crazy part is that Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant have only played in 11 games together this season. I guess it’s good news the team has been able to sustain some success without their two stars for more than half of the games played so far and the Cubs are about to give fans even better news.
Bryant has missed four straight games since being hit on the helmet Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. It’s been a weird situation with the team saying he was fine, but Bryant not returning. However, he’s taken batting practice two days in a row and on Friday we saw him with a protective flap on his helmet.
Positive steps continue for @Cubs and Kris Bryant. Hitting on field before game today. Face guard added. @NBCSCubs #Cubs pic.twitter.com/OG5PKJTGy0
— Doug Glanville (@dougglanville) April 27, 2018
All signs point to Bryant coming back Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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#Cubs Maddon says expects Bryant back in lineup tomorrow
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 27, 2018
He’s not the only one expected to return for the Cubs, as veteran Ben Zobrist looks to be coming back too.
Zobrist hasn’t played since April 14, when the Cubs had their wild 14-10 comeback win against the Atlanta Braves. He was put on the disabled list with back tightness before the Rockies series.
#Cubs Zobrist says he expects to come off DL on Saturday. Feeling good
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 27, 2018
Before Thursday’s series-opener against the Brewers, Zobrist was doing some warmups, testing out the back at Wrigley Field. He also had a back issue at the start of spring training that delayed his debut down in the desert for a few days.
It will be interesting to see if Joe Maddon changes the lineup with Bryant and Zobrist coming back. Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez have been hitting 1-2 for the last two weeks and both have 10-game hitting streaks. Bryant has been a staple in the two-hole and Zobrist was getting starts at leadoff before he went to the DL.
Although Almora has been on a hot streak, he has shown some struggles against right-handed pitching. So, as always expect some more tweaks in the lineup by Maddon.
Also, with Zobrist scheduled to come off the DL, rookie David Bote will be heading back to the minors.
