Chicago Cubs Lineup: Yet Another Start for Pedro Ramirez at Second Base - Bleacher Nation

What the report says

Bleacher Nation reported that the Chicago Cubs entered their July 29 game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium tied for their best point of the season at 15 games above .500. The Cubs, listed at 61-46, were trying to move to 62-46 in the third game of the series, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT in St. Louis. The Cardinals were listed at 53-54.

The Cubs lineup featured Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field, Seiya Suzuki in right, Michael Busch at first, Alex Bregman at third, Ian Happ in left, Michael Conforto at designated hitter, Pedro Ramirez at second, Dansby Swanson at shortstop and Miguel Amaya catching. Bleacher Nation highlighted Ramirez receiving another start at second base after he had started there the previous day while the Cubs adjusted their infield rest plan. This time, Nico Hoerner was out of the lineup, while Swanson returned at shortstop.

The report noted that Ramirez’s switch-hitting profile made sense against Cardinals right-hander Dustin May, particularly given May’s struggles against left-handed hitters. Bleacher Nation also pointed to Ramirez’s broader value: entering the game, he had a .322/.362/.471 slash line over 95 plate appearances, with one home run, four stolen bases and appearances at multiple positions.

On the mound, Chicago planned to start left-hander Matthew Boyd, who had posted a 2.31 ERA across six starts since returning from the injured list on June 25, according to the article. May was set to start for St. Louis with a 4.59 ERA over 104 innings. Bleacher Nation also reported that Javier Assad, not Shota Imanaga, was scheduled to start the Cubs’ series finale the next afternoon.