Cubs, Pirates go arms heavy on wild-card rosters
The Chicago Cubs will send Cy Young candidate Jake Arrieta to the mound for the National League wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but manager Joe Maddon still opted to carry another nine pitchers on his 25-man roster for Wednesday's clash at PNC Park.
PITCHERS
| Pos | Player | Throws |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Jake Arrieta | RHP |
| SP | Kyle Hendricks | RHP |
| SP | Jon Lester | LHP |
| RP | Trevor Cahill | RHP |
| RP | Justin Grimm | RHP |
| RP | Clayton Richard | LHP |
| RP | Fernando Rodney | RHP |
| CL | Hector Rondon | RHP |
| RP | Pedro Strop | RHP |
| RP | Travis Wood | LHP |
POSITION PLAYERS
| Pos | Player | B/T |
|---|---|---|
| C | Miguel Montero | L/R |
| C | David Ross | R/R |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo | L/L |
| 2B | Javier Baez | R/R |
| 2B | Starlin Castro | R/R |
| 3B | Kris Bryant | R/R |
| 3B | Tommy La Stella | L/R |
| SS | Addison Russell | R/R |
| OF | Quintin Berry | L/L |
| OF | Chris Coghlan | L/R |
| OF | Chris Denorfia | R/R |
| OF | Dexter Fowler | S/R |
| OF | Austin Jackson | R/R |
| OF | Kyle Schwarber | L/R |
| OF | Jorge Soler | R/R |
Though the Pirates will carry only nine pitchers, veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano will be among them, offering manager Clint Hurdle some insurance behind starter Gerrit Cole, who turned 25 last month.
Bobby LaFromboise, however, won't be active for Wednesday's one-game playoff despite crafting a 1.29 ERA with a 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 10 appearances for Pittsburgh in September.
PITCHERS
| Pos | Player | Throws |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Gerrit Cole | RHP |
| SP | Francisco Liriano | LHP |
| RP | Antonio Bastardo | LHP |
| RP | Joe Blanton | RHP |
| RP | Arquimedes Caminero | RHP |
| RP | Jared Hughes | RHP |
| CL | Mark Melancon | RHP |
| RP | Joakim Soria | RHP |
| RP | Tony Watson | LHP |
Despite making his MLB debut less than four weeks ago, meanwhile, Elias Diaz will serve as the third catcher on Pittsburgh's roster behind starter Francisco Cervelli and backup Chris Stewart. Keon Broxton, another rookie who debuted last month, could be called upon to pinch-run after swiping 40 bags in 56 attempts across three levels in 2015.
POSITION PLAYERS
| Pos | Player | B/T |
|---|---|---|
| C | Francisco Cervelli | R/R |
| C | Chris Stewart | R/R |
| C | Elias Diaz | R/R |
| 1B | Pedro Alvarez | L/R |
| 1B | Michael Morse | R/R |
| 2B | Neil Walker | S/R |
| SS | Pedro Florimon | S/R |
| SS | Jordy Mercer | R/R |
| 3B | Josh Harrison | R/R |
| 3B | Aramis Ramirez | R/R |
| IF/OF | Sean Rodriguez | R/R |
| OF | Keon Broxton | R/R |
| OF | Starling Marte | R/R |
| OF | Andrew McCutchen | R/R |
| OF | Gregory Polanco | L/L |
| OF | Travis Snider | L/L |