Joc Pederson is in the leadoff spot and playing left as the Cubs go for a sweep of the Padres. Next up is Ian Happ in center, followed by Javy Báez at short and Anthony Rizzo at first. The white-hot Patrick Wisdom is at third, Rafael Ortega handles right, Eric Sogard is at second, and PJ Higgins is behind the plate. It’s a bit of a meatloaf lineup, but the Cubs have been winning behind efforts from just about everyone all season.
Adbert Alzolay hasn’t actually been getting better with each start, at least not in terms of his raw performance, but he does seem to be learning and his last two games have been his best of the season.