The Cubs are back at Wrigley Field tonight with a three-game set against the Brewers, and they’re doing it with a lineup built to attack left-hander Kyle Harrison.
Chicago is coming off a series loss to the Reds, and after another rough outing from Shota Imanaga on Sunday night, the focus now shifts to Clay Holmes. The Cubs need length and stability from their starter, especially with Milwaukee leading the division and the Cubs trying to stay tied with the Phillies for the top Wild Card spot.
Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to sit at the center of everything. He leads off in center field, and the way he’s swinging has made him the hottest bat in baseball right now. Chicago is also leaning hard into right-handed production behind him, with Seiya Suzuki hitting second, Alex Bregman in the three-hole, and Tyrone Taylor bumped up to cleanup in left field.
Miguel Amaya is in the DH spot, while Matt Shaw starts at second base. The full Cubs order: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Alex Bregman, Tyrone Taylor, Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch, Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya, and Matt Shaw.
The matchup gives the Cubs a chance to keep pressing with power. Crow-Armstrong has been especially dangerous against lefties, carrying a 1.000 left-on-lefty OPS this season, and Chicago is hoping that kind of damage shows up again tonight.
Milwaukee counters with Brice Turang leading off at second base, followed by Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, and Cooper Pratt.
Holmes has quietly been sharp. The 33-year-old has allowed just one run across his three starts, but he’s only got one win to show for it because the offense hasn’t given him much help. Over his last seven starts, he owns a 2.72 ERA, and the strikeouts are starting to climb.
One of the biggest individual matchups to watch is Holmes against Yelich. Yelich has a 1.314 OPS in 10 at-bats against him, though Holmes did keep him off the board in their last meeting back in 2025.
Harrison has been solid too, with a 2.79 ERA overall. Over his last seven starts, that number has risen to 3.45, and he hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in any of those outings. He doesn’t walk many hitters, with only nine free passes in his last seven starts, but he has allowed six home runs, which gives the Cubs a path to do some damage if the bats stay loud.
The game is set for 6:40 PM CT at Wrigley Field and will be shown on Marquee Sports Network, with radio coverage on 104.3 The Score.
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