On the way to victory in LA

CUBS LINEUP — In an era where wins don't mean much to the Cubs — and still mean a lot to the Dodgers — Chicago went to Los Angeles and won a series against the Dodgers, giving themselves a chance at a sweep tonight. That's pretty impressive. Let's see if they can do it tonight with Jordan Wicks on the mound and the following Cubs team behind him.

Chicago Cubs lineup:

1. Ian Happ, LF
2. Dansby Swanson, SS
3. Seiya Suzuki, DH
4. Cody Bellinger, RF
5. Isaac Paredes, 3B
6. Michael Busch, 1B
7. Nico Hoerner, 2B
8. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
9. Christian Bethancourt, C

The Cubs' lineup remains unchanged tonight – and why not? – only the catchers are changed; Christian Bethancourt comes in for Miguel Amaya.

Los Angeles Dodgers lineup:

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, RF
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Teoscar Hernandez, LF
5. Tommy Edman, CF
6. Will Smith, C
7. Max Muncy, 3B
8. Miguel Rojas, SS
9. Chris Taylor, 2B

Pitching duel:

Chicago Cubs: Jordan Wicks, LHP

Jordan Wicks has now made two starts since returning from the injured list, and both outings were pretty solid. First, he held the Nationals to just one run on four hits in 5.0 innings in DC. Then he pitched another 5.0 innings against a good Yankees team at Wrigley Field, allowing three earned runs on five hits, four walks, and four strikeouts. The strikeout-to-walk ratio (4-4) has been a little weird since his return, and the Dodgers will be another tough opponent on both counts. But he hasn't allowed a barrel yet, and he's caught plenty of groundballs. He's got many months of rust to shake off, and I'm just glad to see him out there.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Bobby Miller, RHP

After an impressive rookie season in 2023 (3.76 ERA in 22 starts), Bobby Miller has made only 11 starts this season without much success (7.79 ERA).

While he came out with a bang (he struck out 11 Cardinals in six shutout innings in his 2024 debut), the Cubs scored five runs on four hits and two walks in just 1.2 innings in his next start. Miller made one more start after that, then went on the injured list, from which he did not return until mid-June.

After making four more starts from June 19 to July 9, Miller landed on the injured list again and didn't return until late August. However, he finally seems to be somewhat healthy and made four more consecutive starts. But while the 21 strikeouts in those 20.2 IP look pretty nice, the 17 ER show that he may not be quite his old self yet.

Broadcast info:

Chicago Cubs (75-70) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-59) at 9:10 p.m. CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score

Chicago Cubs:

Los Angeles Dodgers: