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SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- In case you were wondering about some of the lineups we've been seeing, both for the Cubs and other teams, today I learned that the usual spring-training rule (at least four regulars for all teams) has been suspended during the World Baseball Classic. The Cubs have just two major leaguers away right now (Javier Baez and Hector Rondon), but many teams have quite a few more than that.
If you are in the Phoenix area and have time this afternoon, Jake Arrieta will throw in a minor-league game at the Sloan Park complex at 1 p.m. Arizona time.
A reminder that today's game starts an hour earlier than yesterday's, at 2:05 p.m. CT.
Here are today's particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Schwarber RF, Bryant 3B, Rizzo 1B, Zobrist 2B, Russell SS, Heyward CF, Contreras C, La Stella DH, Jay LF
Well, that's different. Shifting around the outfielders, I suppose just to see what happens. Kyle Schwarber played four games in right field (two starts) in 2015.
White Sox lineup:
Bourjos CF, Cabrera LF, Abreu 1B, Frazier 3B, Garcia RF, Anderson SS, Saladino 2B, Soto C, Hayes DH
Old friend alert: Geovany Soto starting behind the plate for the White Sox. The other Soto, Giovanni, has already been reassigned by the Sox to their minor-league camp.
Duane Underwood Jr. will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled: Rob Zastryzny, Williams Perez, Ryan Williams, Koji Uehara and Carl Edwards Jr.
Derek Holland gets the call for the White Sox. Others on the White Sox pitching list: Tommy Kahnle, Dan Jennings, Zack Burdi, Cory Luebke, Matt Purke and Michael Kopech. Kopech could be interesting to watch, he reportedly consistently throws 100-plus.
Today’s game is on cubs.com with Len Kasper and Mick Gillispie. It’s also on CSN Chicago (Sox announcers), and that telecast will be rebroadcast on MLB Network Saturday at 5 a.m. CT.
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Please visit our SB Nation White Sox site South Side Sox. If you do go there to interact with Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
Please note that during spring training, Gameday doesn't usually go pitch-by-pitch as it does during the regular season -- usually, it will update after each at-bat.
For spring-training games, we'll have a first-pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time (because I know how you all like overflow threads!). For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.
These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher boxes and regular-season stats will return on Opening Night.
Discuss amongst yourselves.