Willson Contreras At C, Jorge Soler In RF For Cubs In Game 2
By Bruce Levine--
CLEVELAND (CBS) -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon is looking for the long ball to make an impact in his lineup in Game 2 of the World Series.
Willson Contreras will start at catcher, while Jorge Soler will man right field for the Cubs against the Indians on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. Kyle Schwarber will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth again as the Cubs face Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer.
Right-handed hitters (.257) actually hit higher than lefties (.239) against Bauer this season, and he allowed 12 homers to righties and eight to lefties.
With that in mind and no head-to-head numbers against Bauer this season, Maddon went with Contreras and Soler as starters after they were on the bench in Game 1. They'll bat seventh and eighth, respectively.
The Contreras move was also predicated on controlling the Indians' running game, as he's better at throwing out runners than Miguel Montero, who usually catches right-hander Jake Arrieta. The Arrieta-Montero combo allowed 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts this season, which was concerning against a Cleveland team that led the American League in stolen bases. Arrieta also isn't strong at holding runners on, and Contreras has the best throwing arm among Chicago's three catchers.
Once again, outfielder Jason Heyward will be relegated to the bench. Heyward is 0-of-6 lifetime against Bauer.
First pitch is at 6:08 p.m. CT, and the hometown call can be heard on 670 The Score.
Here's the Cubs' lineup:
Dexter Fowler, CF
Kris Bryant, 3B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Ben Zobrist, LF
Kyle Schwarber, DH
Javier Baez, 2B
Willson Contreras, C
Jorge Soler, RF
Addison Russell, SS
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.