Chicago Cubs Lineup

Chicago Cubs Lineup (9/27/24): Alcántara in RF Again, Busch DH, Taillon Starting Final Friday Game

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanSeptember 27, 2024

Well, folks, we’ve done it. We managed to make it through another season of Cubs baseball with our sanity mostly intact. The final weekend of any campaign feels a little bittersweet, but this is even more so because fans deserve a team worthy of the postseason. That’s the bitter part, with the sweet being the fact that we don’t have to watch the Cubs fumble aimlessly for games at a time.

There’s also a sense that the front office will have to make changes because Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins are likely out of jobs if they don’t. Even though Tom Ricketts prioritizes the appreciation of his asset over winning, there’s enough overlap between those two pursuits that choosing one over the other isn’t necessary. Before we move on, I want to clarify that last idea.

Ricketts isn’t solely focused on making money, at least not in the traditional sense, and he is obviously well aware that winning generates more revenue. Just like any large investment, the goal in this case is for the Cubs — and all that goes along with the team — to continue increasing in value. That has been the case so far even when the team has losing seasons, so the impetus to push for a winner hasn’t really been there over the last few years.

As we can see by ownership’s willingness to spend over the luxury tax threshold, however, the sentiment may be shifting. While I’d argue that it’s much smarter to spend up to the second penalty tier rather than just barely going over the first, it’s better than being way under. Or it would be if that increased payroll was focused more on superstar-type talent.

The Cubs are reportedly going to be in the market for top-tier pitching, which is all well and good as long as it doesn’t consume a majority of their offseason budget. They really need a middle-of-the-order bat and a high-leverage reliever, preferably one who’s able to command a multi-year deal. As for where they’re going to put a new hitter when almost everyone from the current roster is under contractual control in 2025 and beyond, well, that’s another story.

For now, this is the team we get to watch for the next three games as Craig Counsell tries to do little other than get to the finish line without any major issues. That means being extra cautious with injuries, hence Seiya Suzuki getting at least one more day to rest his tender ankle.

Ian Happ remains in the leadoff spot and left field, Dansby Swanson is at short, Cody Bellinger is at first, and Isaac Paredes is at third as he heats up late. Michael Busch serves as the DH, Nico Hoerner is at second, Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center, and Miguel Amaya is behind the plate. After picking up an infield single in his MLB debut, Kevin Alcántara is back in right field and will bat ninth.

Jameson Taillon gets the final Friday start of the season as he looks to cap off an up-and-down season that has been mostly up. All the fuss around the trade deadline seemed to have thrown him off his game, but he’s rebounded nicely and can close on a high note this afternoon.

The Reds are going with Nick Martinez –Nick, Nick Martinez* — but they hadn’t named a pitcher as of my initial writing and I don’t really feel like doing much analysis here. Most of his 41 appearances have come in relief, but he’s been in the rotation for about a month and a half and has gone as many as seven innings. Martinez has faced the Cubs three times this season, all in relief, and has gone seven scoreless innings with five hits allowed. He struck out six with no walks in that time, which is in keeping with his 113 total Ks to just 18 free passes.

The 34-year-old righty avoids and has even platoon splits and is among the best in MLB when it comes to inducing soft contact. He’s very good when he gets away from Great American Ball Park and could be lethal if the wind is blowing in at Wrigley this afternoon. Martinez throws his 93 mph four-seam up in the zone and makes his money with an 80 mph changeup that stays to the arm side. His cutter comes in around 89 mph and stays inside that glove-side edge.

Dude is going to throw plenty of strikes, but he’s really difficult to square up because he’s able to change speeds and locate so well. This looks like one of those games that will require the Cubs to string a bunch of base knocks together if they want to score more than a run or two. First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.

Ed. note: One of my greatest regrets is not introducing myself to Luke Campbell when he was sitting a few rows in front of me earlier this season. He was spending a lot of time on his phone and I don’t like to bother people in those situations, so I bounced without talking to him. I really just wanted to ask if it was true that he’d gotten signed affidavits from random people with the last names Martinez and Navarro in order to avoid legal action from former Florida governor Bob Martinez and former Broward County sheriff Nick Navarro over the song “F— Martinez.”

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanSeptember 27, 2024
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