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Chicago Cubs lineup vs. Pirates: Jon Jay leads off for strong middle of the order

By Dan Schmelzer

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 04: Jon Jay #30 of the Chicago Cubs hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field on June 4, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs won 7-6. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 04: Jon Jay #30 of the Chicago Cubs hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field on June 4, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs won 7-6. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Cubs will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates to close out the first half on Sunday. Here is the lineup they will put out there.

With a loss on Sunday, the Chicago Cubs will finish the first half of the 2017 season with a record under .500. Just a few short months ago, that wouldn’t have even seemed possible, but the Cubs have struggled out of the gate and have not shown many signs of turning it around.

This team needs the All-Star break in the worst way. They are not pitching well on a consistent basis, can’t hit with runners in scoring position and their defense has been shaky at times. They have not gotten great production out of many players who they are counting on (I’m looking at you Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist), but they are still right in the thick of the National League Central race.

The Cubs will look to finish the first half strong, as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rubber match of a three-game set. Jon Lester will take the mound for the Cubs and he will be opposed by talented Pirates’ right-hander Jameson Taillon. Here is the lineup Joe Maddon has put together for this game:

Chicago Cubs lineup vs. Pirates

No Zobrist and no Javy Baez in this one. Jon Jay and his impressive .305/.384/.407 slash line gets back into the lineup and he will lead off for a lot of power hitters behind him. The Cubs’ two-through-six of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras could undoubtedly do a lot of damage against Taillon.

However, Taillon has been strong this season, posting a 2.73 ERA in 11 starts. His 3.50 FIP suggests that he has not been quite as strong as his ERA shows and his 22.2% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate (FanGraphs) back that up.

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Taillon is tough but the Cubs undoubtedly have a lineup that can do some damage against him. It will be extremely interesting to see if they can score enough runs to support Lester and get him the win. First pitch between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. CT.

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