CUBS SETUP — We have a fun pitching matchup tonight, as Shota Imanaga and the Cubs take on Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yamamoto has a 2.92 ERA in his first 14 starts in MLB, while Imanaga is at 2.99 in his first 26 games.

Yamamoto is younger and seems to have a higher upside, but Imanaga is the most reliable arm available this year. Nice stuff tonight. I just wish it didn’t start so late. Anyway, here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.

Chicago Cubs Lineup:

1. Ian Happ, LF
2. Dansby Swanson, SS
3. Seiya Suzuki, DH
4. Cody Bellinger, RF
5. Isaak Paredes, 3B
6. Michael Busch, 1B
7. Nico Hoerner, 2B
8. Pete Crow-Armstrong, C
9. Miguel Amaya, C

It looks like we have the answer to yesterday’s question. The Cubs lineup now features Dansby Swanson at second batter, not Michael Busch. It wasn’t just a one night/matchup thing. Of course, we had the theory that the change was because of how good Swanson was and how bad Michael Busch looked…just like Swanson goes 1-5 with a single and Busch goes 4-5 with a double, a home run, and 3 RBI. Baseball.

Here’s to a strong finish for both guys as they figure prominently into the Cubs plans for next season. Although, I think you could say that about pretty much everyone in the Cubs lineup right now….

Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup:

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, RF
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Tommy Edman, CF
5. Andy Pages, LF
6. Miguel Rojas, SS
7. Max Munch, 3B
8. Enrique Hernandez, 2B
9. Austin Barnes, C

Pitch competition:

Chicago Cubs: Shota Imanaga, left-handed

Shota IManaga has a 2.68 ERA over his last six starts, though the seven homers he has allowed have a much higher FIP (4.29). In fact, his last start was his first WITHOUT at least one homer since July 27. He’s allowed 23 this year, which is tied for the 11th-most in MLB – his 1.35 HR/9 ranks in the MLB’s worst 10). For what it’s worth, the Dodgers (115 wRC+) are the third-best offense against left-handed pitching this season.

Imanaga faced the Dodgers early in the season, but his play was interrupted by rain. His artificially shortened line: 4.0 IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 3K.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP

Yamamoto hasn’t pitched since June 15, but he comes off the injured list tonight to make his 15th start of the season. Yamamoto made two Triple-A rehab assignments before returning tonight, but they were only 2.0 innings each. His second outing featured a 17(!) pitch walk with 11 foul balls. And that probably limited his outing more than they originally planned. Still, I can’t imagine they’ll let him throw more than 75 pitches tonight. Yamamoto faced the Cubs earlier this season, holding them scoreless with just three dits and two walks over 5.0 innings of work (8Ks).

Broadcast info:

Chicago Cubs (74-70) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-58) at 9:10 PM CT – Marquee Sports Network, TBS (out-of-market only), 670 The Score

Chicago Cubs:

Los Angeles Dodgers: