Chicago Cubs Lineup (4/5/26, Game 1): Bregman at DH, Shaw Playing 3B, Cabrera Starting
Yesterday’s game got rained out, so the Cubs are playing a traditional Sunday doubleheader. Due to a number of circumstances, I wasn’t able to get a preview of this one. That shouldn’t be too big a deal since the Cubs have a similar lineup against the same pitcher who was scheduled to throw yesterday.
The biggest difference is that Edward Cabrera is starting the first game with Shōta Imanaga throwing the late half, but there were some tweaks to the order and positions.
Michael Busch is leading off again at first base, Alex Bregman is the DH, Ian Happ is in left, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center. Nico Hoerner mans second, Dansby Swanson is the shortstop, Michael Conforto is in right, Matt Shaw takes third, and Miguel Amaya is behind the plate.
They’re facing 26-year-old righty Slade Cecconi, the 33rd overall pick by the Diamondbacks out of Miami in 2020. He went to Cleveland as the return for Josh Naylor and made 23 starts with a 4.30 ERA last season, his first as a full-time starter in the bigs after working as a swinman for parts of 2023 and ’24. His primary asset to this point is that he’s a strike-thrower, but that’s worked against him as well.
Cecconi has allowed 45 homers in just over 240 career innings, and he’s given up more overall damage to right-handed batters. His 94 mph fastball leads an average-ish arsenal that has resulted in a ton of hard contact, most of which is in the air, but he still managed to come in around six innings per game last season. He lasted only 4.1 innings in his season debut, though, and his velo was down alarmingly across the board.
We’re talking two whole ticks on the fastball and cutter, with nearly 4 mph less on the slider. Some guys are still ramping up in the early going, but you’d expect to see Cecconi throwing harder in the early going. And when you consider that righty starters are currently averaging 95.2 mph on their fastballs, the highest ever as velo continues to trend up, someone being down that big really stands out.
By all accounts, Cecconi should be exactly the kind of pitcher the Cubs need to see tonight. That’s what worries me. While we have every reason to believe they’ll be able to hang a crooked number against him, those matchups often seem to be the most vexing.
First of the day.
Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/tIHif7QKq9
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 5, 2026
