Rehabbing major-league pitcher Kendall Graveman will start Game 1 of the Midwest League Championship Series for the South Bend Cubs. He will face off against fellow righthander Remey Reed, a Miami Marlins prospect who posted a sub-3.00 ERA in 14 regular-season starts this year.

Graveman previously pitched in the Midwest League, for the Lansing Lugnuts in 2013 and 2014. In 2013 — his first season as a pro — he went 1-3 with a 4.31 ERA, 25 strikeouts and 13 walks in 39.2 innings/10 starts for the Lugnuts. He returned to Lansing for the start of the 2014 season, going 2-0 with a 0.34 ERA, 25 strikeouts and six walks in 26.1 innings/four starts in the Midwest League. The 2014 season was a big one for Graveman, as he made his way through the Toronto Blue Jays farm system before ending the season pitching at the major-league level. He took a no-hitter into the 9th inning against the Beloit Snappers that year.

After the 2014 season ended, Graveman was traded with three others to the Oakland Athletics for Josh Donaldson, whose three-plus seasons with the Blue Jays included his MVP year in 2015. (Donaldson is also a former Midwest Leaguer. He was a catcher for the 2008 Peoria Chiefs, batting .217 with 6 HR and 23 RBI in 63 MWL games.)

Graveman underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2018 before becoming a free agent after the season. The Chicago Cubs signed him in December. This will be his third start since he began pitching in games again; he was limited to three innings in both of his previous outings.

Reed began his 2019 season in the New York-Penn League, where he went 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA, 33 strikeouts and four walks in 26 innings/five starts for the Batavia Muckdogs. He finished the regular season with the LumberKings, going 4-3 with a 3.28 ERA, 43 strikeouts and 10 walks in 49.1 innings/nine starts.

Clinton’s starting lineup is SS Christopher Torres, 2B Jose Devers, LF Peyton Burdick, CF Kameron Misner, C Will Banfield, 1B Evan Edwards, DH J.D. Osborne, 3B Bubba Hollins, and RF Davis Bradshaw.

South Bend’s starting lineup is 2B Clayton Daniel, SS Andy Weber, LF Brennan Davis, DH Nelson Maldonado, 1B Jake Slaughter, CF Cole Roederer, C Marcus Mastrobuoni, RF Nelson Velazquez, and 3B Levi Jordan.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST at Four Winds Field.