Your Very First Cubs Game Thread of 2023: Giants @ Cubs, Saturday 2/25 2:05 PM CT (UPDATED: With Lineups)

In Game Threads by Rice Cube41 Comments

Well, everyone, we’ve made it to the very first game of the Cubs (pre)season as your favorite squadron will host the Giants at Sloan Park on what I presume will be a lovely Saturday afternoon in Arizona, before it gets insufferably hot and the bulk of the attendees will get badly sunburned.

Per the official Cubs schedule, the game will start at 2:05 PM Central Time and will be broadcast on Marquee as well as AM 670 The Score for those who have access. I will be testing my MLB.tv app to see if they’ll broadcast it, as I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to watch until highlights are uploaded, if at all, but the MLB.tv page does list this game so maybe we’ll get lucky, especially if we don’t live in the in-market coverage area.

Marcus Stroman will get the start (probably two innings max with a pitch count around 50) with Adrian Sampson slated to piggyback before they take all the regulars out and hopefully replace them with fun prospects like Pete Crow-Armstrong for a spell. Here’s the initial nine (plus DH) on the field, which look like what we might see on Opening Day if Stroman gets the nod like I think he will:

I haven’t seen too many takes on the stolen bases or shift restrictions yet (admittedly I didn’t look that hard), but I did see some takes on the pitch clock from across the spectrum, mostly about the obscenely large pitch clock to the side of the batter’s box along the backstop, and some about Manny Machado’s one auto-strike violation, which suggests the umpires really are going to call things tight. I’ll be curious to see how the Cubs handle the new rules, and even though this is practice and the games don’t matter, I wouldn’t mind seeing some good performances to overreact about.

This one was making the rounds earlier:

I can’t see the pitch clock and the short snippet wasn’t very clear on the context, but the NCAA rule is apparently slightly different as the batter must be alert to the pitcher with 10 seconds remaining, not eight seconds like in MLB. Apparently the batter took it all the way down to six seconds remaining before the umpire called the game-ending violation, which meant the ump recognized the game situation and wanted to be generous but just couldn’t force it anymore. There were plenty of disgruntled fans in the comments (also in the couple games that happened on Friday in MLB spring training play) but I think, given the information I saw, it is reasonable for the umpire to make that call. I liken it to the game ending because of a false start or delay of game with the ten-second runoff for an offensive penalty in the NFL, or a player taking too long and triggering an inbound violation in the NBA. You know the rules, they’re pretty explicit, so no soup for you, even if it does suck for your team in that situation. I don’t think any rule will ever fully satisfy every fan, but the crispness of the games based on fan reactions across the hellsite suggests that the pitch clock is a positive, and I look forward to seeing it in action (or reading about it if MLB.tv screws with me).

I’ll update this post with an official lineup and a GameDay link whenever those are available, have at it, folks.

UPDATE: The lineups (for at least the first five innings anyway) are out.

The Giants lineup via Susan Slusser:

  • 1B LaMonte Wade (I think he’s a Jr. but that wasn’t listed)
  • 2B Thairo Estrada
  • DH Joc Pederson
  • CF Austin Slater
  • SS Brandon Crawford
  • RF Heliot Ramos
  • C Blake Sabol
  • 3B Casey Schmitt
  • LF Stephen Piscotty
  • SP Tristan Beck

And for the Cubs, via the official account and Jordan Bastian:

  • 2B Nico Hoerner
  • SS Dansby Swanson
  • LF Ian Happ
  • RF Seiya Suzuki
  • DH Trey Mancini
  • CF Cody Bellinger
  • 1B Eric Hosmer
  • 3B Patrick Wisdom
  • C Yan Gomes
  • SP Marcus Stroman

I guess I was almost right, just switched Bellinger and Mancini in my predicted lineup, but that’s probably as good as it gets come Opening Day barring a surprise.

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  1. Author
    Rice Cube

    berselius:
    From a 10,000 foot view, it’s kind of funny that the Cubs have been 3-4 years behind the ‘meta’ in baseball for the last decade or so. The superfriends saw their original Red Sox like plans squelched by a new CBA. The Cubs finally manage to get the cash cow they’ve always wanted with their own super-RSN, just in time to see the bottom fall out of the RSN market. At least they managed to get enough into the tail end of the swing mechanics revolution to win a World Series before every team figured out how to throw high fastballs (dying laughing).

    It was distressing to see all that talent go poof in short order or that they seemingly didn’t adapt as well as other orgs we’re probably jealous of now, but at least the direction of pitcher development and overall prospect development seems to have improved, so hope that means they’ll at least tread water and not get left behind…

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  7. berselius

    Also the Cubs radio broadcasts are now officially co sponsored by an adult diaper company, which will surely not be a source of future jokes

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  10. berselius

    First impression of pitch clock is that 15 seconds is a little too quick, feels like 20 would be better. I’m sure I’ll adjust soon though (dying laughing).

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  11. Author
    Rice Cube

    Top of 1st thoughts

    No initial info about Seiya’s oblique issue so hoping they say something else later on, guessing they’re being precautionary so 🤷🏻‍♂️

    The pitch clock to the side of the box appears to be off at the beginning but then it is on, Stro delivered by about 3 seconds remaining first time it was on, then 6 seconds remaining second time, then 4 when he got the leadoff K. There’s a clock in the score bug as well but I guess they don’t flash the pitch clock until after the 1st pitch.

    Stro rushed a bit on the second batter and walked him, missed high. They said Nico was in the grass but did move into the dirt before the pitch, unsure if the ump yelled at him. Unsure if Stro is getting used to the clock but sure seems like he liked moving quick, the ducksnorts to score the first run were annoying but I guess that’s the point of the new rules 🤷🏻‍♂️

    Boog and JD said the catcher loophole is that the catcher can just hold the ball as the clock won’t start until the pitcher gets the ball back.

    The inning ending DP was nifty even if they were stuck in the dirt.

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  13. Author
    Rice Cube

    Bottom 1st thoughts

    Nico solid line drive up the middle makes me happy, Dansby GIDP does not.

    The in between batter clock was noticeable between Dansby and Happ ABs. Passan says it’s supposed to be out of sight in regular parks so you can’t see it loom on the CF cam so probably will be in the score bug.

    Ball dude fail. Napoli almost got killed by foul liner. Happ had a pretty lengthy AB relatively speaking before it turned into a PA so that was nice to see.

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  15. Author
    Rice Cube

    Crawford is just to the left of the bag, as if there was an unwritten DMZ surrounding 2B. Beck just threw over once but the camera didn’t show if Happ took a bigger lead after that first disengagement. A violation was called and then they went right back to the clock so no argument or anything to waste time, liked that.

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  35. berselius

    Any time the Cubs fall behind, I just need to take my dog for a long walk and they’ll mount a comback. #science

    WS or bust.

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  36. Author
    Rice Cube

    berselius:
    Any time the Cubs fall behind, I just need to take my dog for a long walk and they’ll mount a comback. #science

    WS or bust.

    Berselius and dog friend will hike the Appalachian Trail throughout the playoffs, confirmed

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