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Sep 26, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs players celebrate after clinching wild card playoff berth at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
In just over 24 hours, the Chicago Cubs will face-off against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game at PNC Park – yet more questions than answers remain in regards to who will take the field for Joe Maddon’s club.
The winner of the one-game playoff will head to St. Louis to battle the experienced Cardinals team – but, for the time being, both teams will focus on the task at-hand.
Over the weekend, the Pirates announced, to nobody’s surprise, that ace Gerrit Cole will be taking the mound for the home team, meaning the Cubs have some interesting decisions to make.
The Cubs have had a very flexible starting eight all season with Maddon filling out the lineup card in a number of different ways. Thanks to the flexibility of having guys able to play multiple positions and hitters feeling comfortable in a variety of slots in the batting order, the Cubs have had the rare luxury of experiencing a high level of success.