Here it is, The Ugliest Cubs Lineup of 2023

I cannot stress enough just how bad this lineup looks on paper. If you or someone near you has the hiccups, just show them today's Cubs lineup against the Houston Astros because it's that scary to look at.

For some reason David Ross keeps batting Nick Madrigal in the leadoff spot despite the infielder posting a .287 OBP. He's been terrible this year, he was terrible last year, Madrigal simply has not been a good hitter, but what the hell, give him the most plate appearances.

The middle is fine, with Dansby Swanson, and then hey look at that, Christopher Morel is batting third, followed by Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. And then it gets really ugly. Matt Mervis is back in the lineup after the Cubs faced a lefty Monday night, and as much as I'm glad that the rookie is finally up, he hasn't been good in the couple of weeks since making his MLB debut. At least he's batting in front of Eric Hosmer, who is once again the DH in place of Trey Mancini tonight.

Cody Bellinger left Monday's game after making a great catch in right-center field and his knee is still sore, so Miles Mastrobuoni is starting at second base with Morel in center field. Then, Tucker Barnhart is batting ninth.

The Cubs 7-8-9 hitters and then when you flip the lineup back to Madrigal, as so, so bad. Holy shit. And again, you can add Mervis, too.

Season Stats
Nick Madrigal: 30 Games, 87 Plate Appearances. .253/.287/.313
Matt Mervis: 8 Games, 25 Plate Appearances. .219/.265/.250
Miles Mastrobuoni: 12 Games, 23 Plate Appearances. .174/.174/.217
Eric Hosmer: 30 Games, 98 Plate Appearances. .239/.286/.337
Tucker Barnhart: 19 Games, 53 Plate Appearances. .213/.283/.234

P fucking U!

At least space out the suck here, Rossy. I cannot wait until Nico Hoerner returns because that at least fixes the most annoying part of this shit of Madrigal leading off. It's something at least.

It's crazy to think that Morel is the biggest power threat in today's lineup for the Cubs. Morel has only played in six games this season and his four home runs are tied with Happ for most out of any player in Tuesday's lineup.

Obviously there are things out of Ross' control. Bellinger getting hurt came out of nowhere and Hoerner's been out with a hamstring strain, while Yan Gomes won't be starting every game behind the plate. However, that doesn't excuse some of these micro decisions. I will never get over giving one of your worst hitters the most plate appearances. This was like when Joe Maddon kept leading off Albert Almora Jr. in 2019, when he had his worst full year with the Cubs.

By the way, I hope Patrick Wisdom is OK. He was checked out by a trainer late in the game after a swing. He stayed in, but still, little tweaks can cause an issue. Hopefully not.