Daniel Murphy leads off at second base, Ben Zobrist is in right, Javy Baez plays short, and Anthony Rizzo cleans up. Kyle Schwarber is in left, Kris Bryant is back at third after a scheduled day off to rest his shoulder, Jason Heyward is in center, and Victor Caratini bats last.
Cole Hamels was nothing short of dreadful in his last outing, resembling the pitcher the Rangers were happy to part ways with. Being in hitter-friendly environs on the final day of that woeful 30-day stretch contributed to the performance, but Hamels was just way off.
Given how well he’s pitched for the Cubs so far, it’s reasonable to believe some sort of hiccup was due.