Game thread for Athletics vs. Cubs

Yesterday's weekend series on Chicago's south side ended in disappointment for the A's, but now they have a chance to redeem themselves on the north side with another three-game sweep of the Cubs. Today will be a battle of the rookies on the mound, with Joey Estes taking the ball against Shota Imanaga – one of the best hitters in the league.

This is Estes' 22nd start of the season and his third in September. His 5.06 ERA and 2.95 batting average for the month contrast with a strong August in which Estes had a 3.03 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, but both of his starts this month came against above-average opponents like the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. Estes will face another strong lineup tonight.

Below is the A's lineup for today's game, which is dominated by right-handed hitters:

Since moving from Japan's NPB to the MLB, Imanaga has made a splash. The All-Star left-hander leads the Cubs in wins, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, batting average against opponents, innings pitched and more. If there weren't so many candidates, Imanaga would be a sure-fire winner of National League Rookie of the Year, but he could also be in with some Cy Young Award buzz.

As for the Cubs' offense, Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki are responsible for the bulk of the output. Dansby Swanson is always another name to watch on both sides of the ball, and two newcomers are also worth mentioning — strong first baseman Michael Busch and entertaining speedster Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs are currently fighting for their playoff chances, as they are the first team out of the wild card race and are five games back with 13 games left to play.

Here is their lineup as written by manager Craig Counsell:

Let's go, A's!