The Cubs are rolling, and Wednesday afternoon gives them a chance to turn a hot stretch into a sweep.
Chicago has won 14 of its last 18 games, and Tuesday’s 9-7 victory over San Diego was the kind of game that showed how dangerous this lineup can be when it starts lifting balls out of Wrigley. The Cubs launched a season-high five homers, with Dansby Swanson going deep twice for his second multi-homer game in his last eight. Alex Bregman, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong also joined the party.
The Padres kept pace with power of their own, hitting four home runs, including two from Fernando Tatis Jr., but it wasn’t enough to avoid a second straight loss in the series. With the wind again blowing out to center field, the finale has the feel of another game where the ball could carry.
Craig Counsell is also tweaking the lineup again. Michael Busch moves back up to the three-hole after batting fifth on Tuesday. Busch has only hit .111 over his last seven games, but his blast Tuesday and a favorable matchup against right-hander Walker Buehler pushed him back into the heart of the order.
The rest of the Cubs’ lineup keeps its familiar shape, with Pete Crow-Armstrong leading off and Bregman hitting second. Seiya Suzuki bats cleanup, followed by Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Michael Conforto, Miguel Amaya and Swanson at ninth. Conforto returns after Kevin Alcántara handled utility duties in Tuesday’s win; Conforto’s RBI single Monday helped Chicago pull out a 3-2 victory.
Swanson’s spot at the bottom of the order doesn’t match the way he’s swinging right now. He’s hitting .309 over his last 15 games, with 17 hits in 55 at-bats, six home runs and 21 RBI.
San Diego is sending out a lineup that leans on four left-handed bats - Gavin Sheets, Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Sung-Mun Song - against Rea, who is making his first start of the series against a right-handed pitcher. Fernando Tatis Jr. leads off in right field, with Manny Machado in the three spot and Ty France batting cleanup.
The Padres have piled up 24 hits in the first two games of the series, but it has only translated into nine runs across two losses. Machado’s homer Tuesday was a bright spot, but his overall numbers remain a problem; his .189 average is tied for the worst in MLB among qualified hitters.
For Chicago starter Colin Rea, the main assignment is simple: keep the ball in the yard. The encouraging sign is that he’s coming off back-to-back starts without allowing a home run, including five innings of one-run ball in Milwaukee last time out. Still, June was a rough month overall, with Rea posting a 5.04 ERA in five starts covering 25 innings.
Buehler, meanwhile, brings a strong recent run into the matchup. He put up a 1.71 ERA in June, allowed only two home runs in 26.1 innings and blanked his former team, the Dodgers, in his last outing before giving up just one earned run over 5.1 innings with five strikeouts.
Both Machado and Cronenworth have homered off Rea before, while the Cubs have some history against Buehler too. Conforto has two homers in 11 at-bats against him with a 1.203 OPS, Busch has also taken him deep, and Swanson has gone just 2-for-13, hitting .154.
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Cubs Just Handed Kevin Alcntara A Chance He Can't Waste
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Battered Cubs Are Starting To Change The Conversation
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Dansby Swanson has been central to that push, giving the lineup a needed boost while the club keeps navigating the roster damage on the mound. Bleacher Reports latest power rankings reflected the shift, moving the Cubs up five spots, and it is a reminder that even with so much unsettled around the rotation and bullpen, this group is making itself harder to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]