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Cubs Vs. Braves Lineups: Bryan LaHair To Start Against Lefty

In the 2012 MLB season, 1B/OF Bryan LaHair has faced left-handed pitching in only 14.1 percent of his plate appearances. In a league that is 33 percent left-handed, 14 percent shows the Chicago Cubs have been protecting LaHair against his weaker half. But according to Cubs manager Dale Sveum, that trends ends on Thursday, as LaHair gets a start against Atlanta Braves lefty SP Mike Minor:

"The last couple games he’s been swinging really well, and he’s going to be back out there (Thursday) against a left-hander," Sveum said after Wednesday’s win. "Try to keep the lineup as stable as we possibly can and get him going against left-handers, because we’ve got to have the 3-4-5 guys consistent and doing it every night."

On his career, LaHair has hit only .111/.238/.181 against left-handed pitching, good for a .419 OPS.

Here is a look at the full lineups, courtesy of BaseballPress.com:

Cubs Lineup

  1. David DeJesus (L) CF
  2. Starlin Castro (R) SS
  3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
  4. Alfonso Soriano (R) LF
  5. Bryan LaHair (L) RF
  6. Geovany Soto (R) C
  7. Darwin Barney (R) 2B
  8. Luis Valbuena (L) 3B
  9. Matt Garza (R) P

Braves Lineup

  1. Michael Bourn (L) CF
  2. Martin Prado (R) LF
  3. Jason Heyward (L) RF
  4. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
  5. Brian McCann (L) C
  6. Dan Uggla (R) 2B
  7. Andrelton Simmons (R) SS
  8. Juan Francisco (L) 3B
  9. Mike Minor (R) P

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, visit Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and Braves blog Talking Chop. For more MLB coverage, check out Baseball Nation as well as MLB Daily Dish.