The Chicago Cubs are carrying 14 position players and only 11 pitchers for their National League Championship Series matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s how the Cubs constructed their roster for the NL Division Series, which went to five games.
One change is the club added right-handed relief pitcher Hector Rondon and removed Justin Wilson. The southpaw was one of the multiple acquisitions the Cubs made prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Wilson was also among the relievers the Los Angeles Dodgers were connected to. After joining the Cubs, he went 1-0 but yielded a 5.09 ERA, 3.72 FIP and 2.09 WHIP in 23 games.
Wilson’s only appearance against the Washington Nationals in the NLDS came in Game 4 when he entered in the ninth and retired both batters faced in a 5-0 loss.
Complete breakdown of the Cubs’ 2017 NLCS roster included below. Players are listed alphabetically in each position group.
Starting pitchers (5):: Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana
Relief pitchers (6): Wade Davis, Brian Duensing, Carl Edwards Jr., Mike Montgomery, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop,
Catchers (2): Alex Avila, Willson Contreras
Infielders (7): Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Ian Happ, Tommy La Stella, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist
Outfielders (5): Albert Almora Jr., Jason Heyward, Jon Jay, Leonys Martin, Kyle Schwarber
With the addition of Rondon, the Cubs only have two left-handed relievers on their NLCS roster. Manager Joe Maddon recently noted the Dodgers’ improvement in hitting lefties when compared to last season.
While it was expected to be the case, the Cubs did not officially name Jose Quintana their Game 1 starter until Saturday morning.
