The Cubs have a chance to keep their late-season push moving in the right direction Sunday, and they’re doing it with a lineup that looks plenty familiar - just not exactly identical to Saturday’s group.
Chicago enters the day at 86-69 after getting a needed win over Cincinnati and benefiting from the Mets’ 10-2 rout of the Phillies. That result gave the Cubs a full-game edge over Philadelphia for the top NL Wild Card spot.
The catch is that San Diego has kept charging too, pulling even with Chicago at 86-69. So even with the standings breaking their way in one spot, the Cubs still have plenty to sort out if they want to lock down home-field advantage.
At Great American Ball Park, the Cubs are rolling out this order against the Reds:
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Michael Busch, 3B
- Alex Bregman, 3B
- Ian Happ, LF
- Nico Hoerner, SS
- Michael Conforto, DH
- Pedro Ramírez, 2B
- Miguel Amaya, C
The biggest shift is at shortstop, where Nico Hoerner gets the nod instead of Dansby Swanson. Swanson returned from his oblique strain on Friday, looked healthy, and even launched a big home run in the Cubs’ weekend win. He added three hits in his first two games back, though Saturday also brought an error.
Chicago appears to be taking the cautious route here, and for good reason. Swanson never got into a rehab game because of bad weather, so the Cubs have not had much of a ramp-up period to work with. Hoerner and Pedro Ramírez held things down well in his absence, which makes the move a little easier to manage.
The rest of the lineup keeps the Cubs close to what they’ve been using. Alex Bregman slides back into the cleanup spot after batting second on Saturday, but he’s still searching for a breakthrough in this series. He has not recorded a hit and has only one walk in nine at-bats.
Ian Happ is also back in after sitting against a lefty, which has become Craig Counsell’s usual approach with Tyrone Taylor. Happ homered in Friday’s opener, and Chicago would love to see that kind of pop show up again as the regular season winds down.
Michael Conforto is back at DH, while Ramírez returns at second base. Ramírez had not played since the Cubs’ September 16 win over the Atlanta Braves.
The Reds counter with this group:
- Dane Myers, CF
- Elly De La Cruz, SS
- Sal Stewart, 1B
- Tyler Stephenson, DH
- Eugenio Suarez, DH
- Juan Brito, RF
- JJ Bleday, LF
- Matt McLain, 2B
- Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
Chicago also had a spot in the rotation open when the lineup was announced, which raised the possibility of a spot start as the Cubs try to protect their arms ahead of the playoffs. Instead, Craig Counsell is sticking with his usual order, and David Peterson will take the ball this afternoon.
Peterson has been sharp for the Cubs. In his last outing, he allowed one run on three hits against a strong Braves lineup and struck out seven, finishing just shy of his season high.
The matchup sets up well for Chicago on paper, too. The Cubs are trying to clinch the series against Rhett Lowder, who has struggled through a 5.79 ERA this season. He has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last six starts, and in two of those outings he gave up double that total.
Lowder does bring a varied mix to the mound, leaning most on a mid-90s sinker while also mixing in a slider, four-seamer and changeup. But the Cubs have had success against pitches like those, and the slider in particular has been hit hard, with a .514 slugging percentage allowed. Chicago should have a chance to do damage this afternoon.
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