Heading into Thursday’s matinee in Queens, most of the chatter from Cubs fans dealt with the largely replacement-level lineup they’d be sending out to face Jacob deGrom. Yes, the same pitcher who captured the NL Rookie of the Year award last season and who came into the game boasting a 2.15 ERA and 2.59 FIP and who had allowed only .63 home runs per 9 innings.
Of course, most of those stats were compiled by facing hitters not named Jonathan Herrera. Known more as a punchline than a power puncher, the Punch and Judy hitter was not expected to fill Kris Bryant’s shoes while the regular starter got a scheduled day off.