Besides the bullpen usage, one of the biggest criticisms about Joe Maddon from Cubs fans since he began to manage the team in 2015 has been the constant lineup changes. Players voiced their frustration to Theo Epstein after 2018, saying they just wanted to know when they'd be in the starting lineup and when they weren't ahead of time. Maddon said he was going to let players know about the lineups and although that seems like a very minimal thing it was important for the players.
But something more surprising happened prior to Sunday's series finale against the Diamondbacks. Maddon has prepared the lineups, at least in his head, a series at a time, letting players know what the deal is. Yet, for Sunday's game, this happened.
David Bote, even after hitting two home runs on Saturday, wasn't supposed to be in the lineup. That was until the other players spoke to their manager.
Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks!
Joe Maddon adapting to the times and listening to his players.
Bote's multi-HR game lifted his slash line to .296/.397/.556, with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 54 at-bats. He has 12 strikeouts to 7 walks so far this season.
Here's the rest of the Cubs lineup for Sunday's game in Arizona.
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