Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview, Tuesday 5/16, 7:05 CT

The most important factor in tonight's game could be the weather forecast, which calls for warm conditions (no lake breeze), temperatures at least in the 70s, and the wind blowing out at nearly 20 miles per hour.

Perhaps Cubs bats will wake up and hit a video-board shot or two tonight. (Of course, while preventing Reds hitters from doing the same.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Schwarber LF, Bryant RF, Rizzo 1B, Happ CF, Candelario 3B, Russell SS, Contreras C, Lackey P, Baez 2B

Here's how we'll line up to open our 10-game homestand.

Game preview: https://t.co/PxpMvBXFlJ pic.twitter.com/58RGkNiJMb

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 16, 2017

Well, that's interesting: Ian Happ hitting cleanup. He has played six games in center field for Iowa this year, starting four of them.

Reds lineup:

Hamilton CF, Cozart SS, Votto 1B, Duvall LF, Suarez 3B, Schebler RF, Peraza 2B, Barnhart C, Arroyo P

John Lackey vs. Bronson Arroyo

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

We return to 2006 tonight for a pitching rematch of the game April 23 in Cincinnati between John Lackey and Bronson Arroyo.

It was Arroyo's best game of the year. He gave the Cubs just three hits. One of those hits was a two-run homer by Anthony Rizzo that accounted for all the runs Arroyo allowed that afternoon.

Since that game Arroyo has a 4.78 ERA and 1.435 WHIP and has allowed three home runs in 15⅓ innings.

Lackey got hit pretty hard that day, seven hits, two walks and seven runs (five earned) in six innings. Since that game Lackey has a 3.50 ERA and 1.333 WHIP with three walks and 20 strikeouts in 18 innings, including an outstanding outing his last time out, seven shutout innings against the Rockies a week ago today.

Hopefully, Lackey's settled in and can keep pitching like that, and the Cubs can solve the 80 mile-per-hour fastball of Arroyo.

Today's game is on CSN Chicago.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

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The 2017 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used during 2016. Here's how it works.

You'll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in the game's StoryStream as noted above.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.

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Discuss amongst yourselves.