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Chicago Cubs at Boston Red Sox Game 1

By JR·2 min read
Chicago CubsCHC(88-71)
Boston Red SoxBOS(85-74)
AT
1:05 PM ET

TLDR: The Cubs punched their playoff ticket Thursday and flew straight into a Fenway doubleheader that a nor'easter forced onto the schedule. Boston's bats have gone quiet at the worst possible time, and Game 1 at 1:05 PM ET is a good look at whether they can find anything before October.

FRI SEP 25, 1:05 PM
Spread
WIN
Total
Cubs
(88-71)
WLLWW
Red Sox
(85-74)
LWLLL

The Cubs clinched a playoff spot Thursday and open a nor'easter-forced doubleheader in Boston, with Clay Holmes going against lefty Alec Gamboa in Game 1. Boston's pitching keeps winning low-scoring games, but a banged-up lineup without Willson Contreras has barely scored in a week. Game 1 probably comes down to whether Holmes' command holds and how deep Boston has to go into its bullpen behind a short-outing starter.

Cubs
  • Crow-Armstrong fresh off a 40-40 season
  • Holmes rested a full week before this start
  • Clinched Thursday, playing loose
  • Holmes walked 5, allowed 6 ER last start
  • Bullpen gutted: Hodge, Maton, Harvey, Martin, Brown out
  • Bregman (face) only resumed hitting Wednesday
Red Sox
  • Staff kept 4 of last 5 within a run
  • Gamboa at 1.16 ERA in a limited sample
  • 5 runs scored across the last 5 games
  • Contreras (hand) hasn't swung in 2 days
  • Gamboa hasn't worked in the majors since August 29

Clay Holmes (6-8, 3.25) gets the ball for the Cubs in his first start in a full week, and he needs a better day than his last one. He allowed only 3 hits to the Reds but walked 5 and gave up 6 earned runs in 5.1 innings, so the problem was command. Boston counters with lefty Alec Gamboa (1-0, 1.16). That ERA comes from a small sample, and his last big-league outing was 1.1 innings on 18 pitches back on August 29. Expect the Red Sox bullpen to cover plenty of this one, with Brayan Bello lined up for the nightcap.

Clay Holmes
Clay Holmes
(6-8)·3.25 ERA
Sep 18 @ Reds
L
5.1IP
6ER
4K
5BB
97P
09/25 Lineup
Alec Gamboa
Alec Gamboa
(1-0)·1.16 ERA
Aug 29 @ Yankees
ND
1.1IP
0ER
1K
0BB
18P
09/25 Lineup

The Boston lineup is the story, and it's not a good one. Willson Contreras (hand) said Thursday he hasn't been able to swing for 2 days, and his own worry was being ready for the Wild Card opener next week, not a Friday matinee. Masataka Yoshida, Triston Casas, Curtis Mead and Eli White are all out too, and the lineup that's left scored 5 runs in its last 5 games. Chicago is favored by a little, which fits a road team that's been the steadier club lately.

The Cubs aren't at full strength either. Alex Bregman (face) is day-to-day and only resumed hitting Wednesday. Kevin Gausman says his left shoulder is still sore after a tag play and he has no idea when he'll pitch again. The bullpen IL list reads like a depth chart: Porter Hodge, Shelby Miller, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Ben Brown and Trent Thornton. That matters on a day when Chicago has to cover 18 innings.

The big draw on Chicago's side is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who just became the 7th player ever to go 40-40, joining Canseco, Bonds, A-Rod, Soriano, Acuña and Ohtani. Ian Happ called it "the best year of baseball I've ever seen." The Cubs clinched with a 2-1 win over Miami, which came after back-to-back losses to the Marlins at Wrigley. They have taken 1 of the first 3 in that set, and they won the first 2 against the Reds in the last-5 window before that.

Chicago Cubs
(88-71)
09/24WvsMarlins2-1
09/23LvsMarlins2-3
09/22LvsMarlins2-8
09/20W@Reds9-1
09/19W@Reds5-2
Boston Red Sox
(85-74)
09/24LvsGuardians0-1
09/23WvsGuardians1-0
09/22LvsGuardians2-3
09/20L@Rays1-5
09/19L@Rays1-2

Boston's slide is about runs, not pitching. The Red Sox have lost 4 of 5, and every one of those losses came by 1 run except a 5-1 defeat in Tampa. Their only win was a 1-0 game against Cleveland, and the Guardians clinched their own spot with a 1-0 win Thursday. When a pitching staff keeps you in games like that and the offense can't cash it, the problem is 9 guys in the batting order, not the mound.

Chicago Cubs
(13)
  • Day-To-DayNewAlex Bregman (3B) — Bregman (face) resumed hitting Wednesday and it "went well,"09/24
  • Day-To-DayNewKevin Gausman (SP) — His left shoulder remains sore and he's uncertain when he will be available to pitch.09/24
  • 15-Day-ILTrent Thornton (RP) — Thornton (5-4) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Thursday's 3-2, extra-innings victory over the Blue Jays. He struck out one.09/12
  • 15-Day-ILGavin Hollowell (RP) — Hollowell (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.09/04
  • 60-Day-ILNewJustin Steele (SP) — The team doesn't plan to activate Steele (elbow) from the 60-day injured list this weekend.09/24
  • 60-Day-ILShelby Miller (RP) — The Cubs have shut down Miller's (elbow) rehab.09/15
  • 60-Day-ILBen Brown (RP) — Brown (neck) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.09/03
  • 60-Day-ILPhil Maton (RP) — The Cubs transferred Maton (knee) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.08/19
  • 60-Day-ILRiley Martin (RP) — Martin (elbow) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.08/19
  • 60-Day-ILHunter Harvey (RP) — Harvey's (triceps/shoulder) rehab hasn't come along as hoped.08/19
  • 60-Day-ILPorter Hodge (RP) — The Cubs transferred Hodge (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Friday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILCade Horton (SP) — The Cubs transferred Horton (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILTyler Austin (1B) — The Cubs placed Austin (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
Boston Red Sox
(13)
  • OutNewWillson Contreras (1B) — Contreras (hand) expressed concern Thursday about his availability for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series next week, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "I'm working hard with the trainers, the hand is slowly getting better," Contreras said. "But I haven't been able to swing the last two days. I'll be honest with the team. I know Tuesday is a really important game. It's a really important series, and I'll be completely honest with the team."09/25
  • 10-Day-ILCurtis Mead (3B) — Mead (wrist) is a long shot to be available for the postseason.09/23
  • 10-Day-ILEli White (CF) — White underwent Lisfranc surgery on his right foot Tuesday.09/22
  • 10-Day-ILAnthony Seigler (2B) — The Red Sox placed Seigler on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to right wrist inflammation.09/13
  • 10-Day-ILMasataka Yoshida (DH) — Interim manager Chad Tracy revealed Tuesday that Yoshida has a "significant" left hamstring injury that will keep him out until close to the end of the season, at minimum.08/18
  • 15-Day-ILJustin Slaten (RP) — Slaten (elbow) will not return from the injured list this season.09/15
  • 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet (SP) — Crochet (lat) is not expected to pitch again before the end of the regular season.09/23
  • 60-Day-ILTanner Houck (SP) — Houck (elbow) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking two over 3.1 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.09/20
  • 60-Day-ILJohan Oviedo (SP) — Ovideo (elbow) allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.09/18
  • 60-Day-ILKutter Crawford (SP) — Crawford (forearm) is expected to remain on the injured list for the rest of the season.09/07
  • 60-Day-ILEduardo Rivera (SP) — The Red Sox recalled Rivera from Triple-A Worcester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Tuesday due to a lumbar strain.09/01
  • 60-Day-ILTriston Casas (1B) — Casas (abdomen/knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist Thursday.08/06
  • 60-Day-ILZack Kelly (RP) — The Red Sox recalled Kelly (elbow) from Triple-A Worcester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21

It's 63 and cloudy at first pitch with the wind at 15 mph, and heavier weather is on the way this weekend, which is why Sunday's game got moved to today. Holmes has to throw strikes against a lineup that can't hurt him much if he does. Boston needs Gamboa and a string of relievers to hold on long enough for someone to get a big hit. The Red Sox haven't gotten one in about a week.

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