Albert Almora Jr. Leads Off, Jason Heyward Sits For Cubs In Game 2
(CBS) With a left-hander in the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez taking the mound, the Cubs made a few adjustments to their lineup for Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Saturday afternoon in Washington D.C.
Righty-swinging Albert Almora Jr. will lead off and get the start in center field, and lefty-swinging outfielder Jason Heyward will come off the bench. Switch-hitting Ian Happ will start in left field, while switch-hitting Ben Zobrist plays right as outfielder Kyle Schwarber returns to the bench after a Game 1 start.
Almora hit .342 with an .897 OPS against left-handers this season. He didn't play in Game 1, which the Cubs won 3-0 as Kyle Hendricks outdueled Stephen Strasburg.
Gonzalez made one start against the Cubs this season, suffering a loss despite throwing fairly well on June 26 at Nationals Park. He went six innings, allowing one run, earned, on two hits and five walks while striking out eight.
First pitch in Game 2 is at 4:38 p.m. and can be heard on 670 The Score, which starts its pregame coverage at 3:30 p.m.
Here's the Cubs' lineup:
Albert Almora Jr., CF
Kris Bryant, 3B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Willson Contreras, C
Addison Russell, SS
Ben Zobrist, RF
Javier Baez, 2B
Ian Happ, LF
Jon Lester, P