Chicago Cubs lineup (04/05/19): Descalso Leadoff, Bryant RF, Davis and Darvish Battery

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Daniel Descalso is first to second, Kris Bryant is on the right, Anthony Rizzo is in the beginning and Javy Báez is cleaning everything up. David Bote beats fifth in third place, Albert Almora Jr. is in the center, Kyle Schwarber is on the left and Taylor Davis starts behind the plate.

This last alignment is probably something we will probably see as long as Davis is with the Cubs, since he is a little quieter and seems to be working well with Yu Darvish. A battery with a backup sensor not only contributes to the launcher's comfort level, but also ensures a steady rest at Willson Contreras, which was clearly overused last season.

It seems that today's pitcher, Michael Wacha, has been around forever. Now in his seventh season with the Cardinals, the Cubs hope he'll stay in St. Louis for many years. This is because he has an average points of interest of 6.65 and 1.556 WHIP in this game against 18 rivals in his previous 18 matches.

The Cubs threw 20 home runs against Wacha, almost as much as the other three opponents in the division (23). He has taken 40 Cubs against 90 strikeouts, so his mark of 2.25 K / BB is no worse than his career average of 2.67. Even the WHIP is not far from his career record of 1.29. The homers come to crush him.

Wacha's ERA has fluctuated noticeably almost every year, but her FIP has risen steadily over the past seven seasons due to her increased travel and travel. His dam holdings are up, perhaps because he is using the cutter better this season. The four seams and the change had been his best weapons, but both have lost a tick and are not as effective.

The change will always result in a lot of jumps and misses, far more than any other field in percentage, but the opponents have an opportunity of .794 against this season. That's over 200 points more than her career average with. Because he gets those flushes, however, the change becomes an intensive use in the count of two strikes for all the hitters.

The pitch gets its name for a reason and Wacha wants to let the batters guess. That's why left-handers will see either four seams (54%) or a change (34%) at a high rate when they are on their last shot. The right-handed ones are pretty much the same, but the cutter comes into play more often. The batters can therefore sit red and they will be right more often.

Or, and it's probably a better strategy, the Cubs could use what they've learned from this breakthrough "opportunity" spring training. Joe Maddon set up a pitching machine to shoot smaller bullets at a short distance, simulating a reaction time of 115 km / h. Which means a shorter and faster swing, similar to the one used by a batter who sits off speed and adapts to the heat.

Darvish takes the start of the mound to a start in which he won in the first two brutal rounds to regain control of the lead and record victory. It was satisfying for what he had managed to do, winning fewer throws in four innings and fewer than in the first two games, but it was still frustrating. Things are there with the shovel, it's just the control of the fastball that has escaped him.

Noting this afternoon, especially after the Cards were hypnotized by a backpack very different from Kyle Hendricks. And given Maddon compliment backwards on the fact that Darvish is a "favorite", the success record of the Cubs against Wacha could be a boon for them.

The first launch is scheduled for 15:05 Pacific time and can be seen on WGN or FS1 (only on the market) or heard on 670 The Score.

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