Cubs need to line up playoff rotation this way to maximize October chances

The goal for the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline was to make sure they added enough pitching to ensure they didn't run into the same wall they did last October. Mission accomplished as the Cubs added not one, but two starting pitchers to their rotation.

The question now becomes, how will the Cubs line up their rotation for the playoffs? It's the problem the Cubs have faced the past two years, considering they haven't had a defined ace since their return to the playoffs last season. After the arrivals of Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman at the deadline, the difference for the Cubs this time around is that it's not a dire need of pitching that they are trying to overcome.

If the Cubs want to succeed in the playoffs, this is how they should line up the rotation

In an ideal world, the Cubs will have clinched the top Wild Card spot before the final week of the regular season. Doing so would allow Craig Counsell to line the rotation exactly how he sees fit for the playoffs.

Clay Holmes

Holmes has been excellent upon arrival. Through his first four starts, he's allowed five runs in 23 innings pitched with a groundball rate of 68.6%. That's good for an ERA of 1.96, and if this is the version of Holmes the Cubs have moving forward, he's the unquestioned Game 1 starter for the Cubs in the playoffs.

Kevin Gausman

This is where the conversation starts for the Cubs, and the Game 2 starter likely will be determined by who is having the most success at the time of the playoffs. Right now, Gausman may be the safest bet. It's been rocky since the deadline, but in his most recent outing, he tossed seven scoreless innings while striking out six. Beyond that, Gausman was a trusted starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays during the playoffs last fall. Chances are his experience gives him the nod in Game 2.

Matthew Boyd

The Cubs need to get Matthew Boyd right. Partially because there's almost no path to success if they enter the playoffs with a rotation that includes a regressing Boyd. Boyd has an ERA of 5.23 over his last five starts, but he only gave up one run in six innings of work against the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week. The guess here is that the order of Gausman and Boyd are interchangeable, but for right now, Boyd should be the Game 3 starter.

Shota Imanaga

At this very moment, Imanaga probably rounds out the rotation in the playoffs. As a reminder, the Cubs will likely only need a four-man rotation during the playoffs. Craig Counsell has already suggested that Imanaga will be handled with a short-leash moving forward, and whoever is the fourth man in the rotation, likely won't be expected to face an opposing lineup more than one time through. If not Imanaga, then David Peterson is the clear choice.

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