The Cubs are shuffling the deck again as they try to answer a left-hander and keep their lineup rolling against the Reds.
Matt Shaw is back in the starting nine for the first time in two months, and Tyrone Taylor is in as well, giving Chicago a different look for the 1:20 p.m. CT matchup at Wrigley Field. The Cubs enter at 76-59, while Cincinnati comes in at 64-71.
Chicago’s batting order starts with Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, followed by Seiya Suzuki as the DH. Alex Bregman is batting third, Michael Busch has moved into the cleanup spot, and Nico Hoerner drops to fifth. Shaw slots in sixth in right field, with Taylor in left, Pedro Ramírez at second, and Carson Kelly catching.
The changes are all about the matchup. With a lefty on the mound, the Cubs are moving pieces around and giving Shaw a chance to get back into the mix after his rehab work and recent call-up.
He already made a quick impression Friday, doubling in his lone at-bat and scoring. The expectation now is that he’ll be around the lineup regularly, likely seeing time in right field with Suzuki moving to DH and possibly even getting a look at third base down the road.
Taylor’s presence fits the same pattern. He’s replacing Ian Happ again against a left-hander, and since arriving in the Clay Holmes deal, he’s hit .323 in limited action.
Cincinnati’s lineup brings Hector Rodríguez leading off in right, with Elly De La Cruz hitting second and Sal Stewart in the three-hole. JJ Bleday is batting fourth, Tyler Stephenson fifth, Eugenio Suárez sixth, Jose Trevino seventh, TJ Fridl eighth, and Matt McLain ninth.
On the mound, Kevin Gausman is fresh off a dominant outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 24, when he gave up three hits and struck out six over 7.0 innings. He leaned hard on his four-seamer that day, throwing 62 fastballs and only 27 splitters, even though the splitter is usually his signature pitch.
So far, the Cubs have seen a lot to like from Gausman. Outside of one six-run outing against the Nationals, he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs since joining the club.
For Cincinnati, Andrew Abbott is the starter. He owns a 4.15 ERA across 145.1 innings and works with a heavy dose of off-speed pitches to limit hard contact.
He’s usually good for around six innings, and Chicago already handled him once this season. On July 12, the Cubs scored four runs and drew three walks early, pushing him out after just 4.0 innings.
Even so, Abbott has been steady for the Reds, and the Cubs know getting to him won’t be easy this time around.
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