Jordan Lyles v Yu Darvish, Lineup & Notes

Game: It's an 8:05 start at Wrigley, aired by MLB Network (Pittsburgh only; the Pens are on AT&T SportsNets) & 93.7 The Fan. The rain will have passed by game time, but the contest will be played in windy (20 MPH+) and cold (40 degrees).

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Fran Cervelli C, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Melky Cabrera RF, Jason Martin LF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Jordan Lyles P. Colin's solid stroke has been getting him more time at the hot corner lately.

Jordan Lyles on the bump (image Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Jordan Lyles (0-0/0.00) takes on RHP Yu Darvish (0-1/8.10). Jordan put up five zeroes against the Reds, and now he takes his second step as the fifth arm. He only threw two innings against the Windy City gang last year out of the pen, giving up a run on four hits. Lyles is 2-2/3.89 in 12 career appearances (six starts) v Chicago. Yu has been pretty much wasted money for the Cubs so far (six years/$126M); he gave them just 40 IP last season (1-3/4.95) with arm woes and this year, he's issued 11 walks in 6-2/3 IP. Darvish is healthy now and says the early woes are just a matter of knocking off the rust, so we'll see as his velo and movement have returned, though his aim hasn't. He hasn't faced Pittsburgh since 2016, with a 1-1/1.50 line.

Notes:

• Chris Archer received a five-game suspension yesterday for intentionally throwing a pitch behind Derek Dietrich during Sunday’s game v the Reds, with a fine tacked on. Not a biggie; for a rotation pitcher, that amounts to pushing back a start. Cincy's Yasiel Puig received a two-game suspension and manager David Bell will sit out one contest; they also got hit in the pocketbook.
• Jon Lester of the Cubs ended up on the IL after tweaking his hammy during Monday's game.
• The Dodgers have placed Russ Martin on the 10-day IL with lower back inflammation.
• Connor Joe, the first round pick of the Bucs in 2014 who was traded to Atlanta for S-Rod, has been a busy guy. Atlanta sent him to the Dodgers, then the Reds claimed him in the Rule 5 draft just to trade him to the Giants, who waived him yesterday. If unclaimed, he'll be offered back to LA.