Chicago Cubs scratch Rizzo for second straight game in Miami

It has been a rough stretch for the Chicago Cubs as of late. They were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals to end their most recent homestand before hitting the road for a season-high 11 game road trip.

And last night, things took another wide turn. With the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning and only one out, Joe Maddon‘s first place club was unable to tie the ballgame, yet alone drive in a single run.

This club has had trouble battling back against teams in games that have been decided by one or two runs. Something that is going to have to change during the second half of the season if they have any hopes of going deep into the postseason.

Going up against pitcher’s such as Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, Stephen Strausberg, Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, or even the entire New York Mets pitching staff is not going to be easy if they are unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position.

More from Chicago Cubs News

• Cubs: Adrian Sampson is forcing his way into the conversation
• Projecting the Chicago Cubs bullpen to open the 2023 season
• Cubs fans are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel
• Justin Steele has evolved into a frontline starter for the Cubs
• The future of first base is murky right now for the Cubs

But for now, Chicago (47-24) will turn to young right-hander Kyle Hendricks in hopes of ending their four-game skid on top of gaining ground on the Cardinals.

Hendricks (5-6, 2.94 ERA) had the strikeout pitch working in his previous start while the Cubs were hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates this past weekend. In six frames, Kyle reached a career high 12 punchouts while giving up one earned run on seven hits, a home run, and zero walks.

Tonight, he’ll be squaring off against 29-year-old hurler, Tom Koehler. Koehler (6-6, 3.92 ERA) has put together a great month of June as a whole, surrendering only seven earned runs on 18 hit and only one big fly in four starts for the Marlins (39-34) who took Jon Lester deep twice last night.

When looking at Joe Maddon’s lineup, you’ll notice that first baseman Anthony Rizzo has not been penciled in. Rizzo is currently dealing with some stiffness in his back which resulted in Willson Contreras picking up the start at first base yesterday and Kris Bryant filling in later on this evening.

Next: New deal with South Bend Cubs announced

Outfielder Jason Heyward will lead off with Dexter Fowler still on the 15-day disabled list and Chris Coghlan will get the start out in left field with Bryant playing Rizzo’s role. This lineup has experienced a few bumps along the way but they are going to need to get things going tonight.

These next two games are a must win for the Chicago Cubs as Miami’s ace pitcher, Jose Fernandez, will pick up the series finale against Jason Hammel on Sunday afternoon.

First pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. central time and will air live on CSN, 670 The Score. Here is a look at the complete lineup for both the Cubs and Marlins: