Schwarber expected to bat 2nd in Cubs' lineup
With the World Series returning to an American League ballpark Tuesday, 23-year-old slugger Kyle Schwarber will be back in the Chicago Cubs lineup, and manager Joe Maddon wants to see him as much as possible.
Schwarber will hit second in Game 6 against Cleveland Indians starter Josh Tomlin - at least, according to teammate Anthony Rizzo.
Rizzo announced part of Chicago's starting lineup on ESPN 1000, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
Following Schwarber, Rizzo said it will be Kris Bryant hitting third, followed by Rizzo and Ben Zobrist.
Schwarber, who missed all but two games during the regular season after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee in April, returned to the Cubs for the World Series and is hitting .375 so far.
"It was almost an advantage for us to play there (in Chicago)," said Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "When you put him back in the DH, he's a good hitter. He's a great hitter, actually. In the playoffs, he's shown that (he can) not make the situation too big. It makes them a tougher lineup, for sure."
Tomlin is expecting a more challenging lineup than the one he shut out over 4 2/3 innings during Game 3 at Wrigley Field, and equates most of that to the addition of the power-hitting Schwarber.
"I mean, you're essentially taking out the worst hitter in the lineup and putting in one of the better hitters in the lineup. So it's definitely different," Tomlin said.
Schwarber hit .246/.355/.487 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs during his rookie campaign in 2015.