Game 5 of The World Series is tonight (7:08pm CDT) at Wrigley Field. Jon Lester takes on Trevor Bauer as the Cubs look for a one-game winning streak and to send The Series back to Cleveland.
Joe Maddon is sticking with the Cubs’ Lester Lineup in Game 5 with David Ross catching in what is his last game at Wrigley Field.
Maddon is starting the game with an outfield of Ben Zobrist (LF), Dexter Fowler (CF) and Jason Heyward (RF). And he has Javier Baez at second and Kris Bryant at third base.
Cubs batting order: Dexter Fowler CF, Kris Bryant 3B, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Ben Zobrist LF, Addison Russell SS, Jason Heyward RF, Javier Baez 2B, David Ross C, Jon Lester P
It is not surprising at all that Maddon is keeping his best defensive starting lineup on the field behind Lester despite the struggles of three-quarters of his infield. Lester has to have a strong defense on the field to put him in the best position to succeed.
Right-handers batted .257/.333/.399 with a .732 OPS against Trevor Bauer in the regular season while left-handers hit .239/.305/.385 with a .690 OPS.
The Cubs will begin Game 5 with Willson Contreras, Miguel Montero, Chris Coghlan, Jorge Soler, Albert Almora Jr. and Kyle Schwarber on the bench.
