Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/31/26): Hoerner Back at Leadoff, ‘Overrated’ PCA Bats 2, Wicks Starting

After a lackluster series opener, the Cubs got back into the win column with a decisive win on Saturday evening. Now they’ve got the rubber match, which is back on NBC for what feels like the first time since Ryne Sandberg was announcing his MVP candidacy. That’s great for just about every fan, since watching the game won’t require a subscription of any kind.

Just how much of it you’ll want to watch may depend on whether Jordan Wicks can prove he belongs in the big leagues. The lefty has pitched well in the minors and was dominant at Triple-A just before being called up, but the Pirates jumped all over him in his first big league start since 2024. Wicks settled in for a few innings after allowing a five-spot in the 1st, even striking out the side in the 2nd, then was charged with three more in the 5th.

Getting five strikeouts in just over four innings of work would have been impressive were it not for those eight runs on nine hits. With Matthew Boyd working his way back, Wicks is quickly approaching the end of his runway and really needs to take off soon.

Even if he had pitched much better, the offense provided only one run to support his effort. The bats are warming back up since adjusting to a big change in the way opposing pitchers have been attacking them, so that should help tonight. Craig Counsell is tweaking things just a bit with a lefty on the bump, moving Nico Hoerner back into the leadoff spot with the “overrated” Pete Crow-Armstrong batting second.

Alex Bregman bats second, Seiya Suzuki cleans up, and Ian Happ bats fifth. Carson Kelly is behind the plate, then it’s Michael Busch at second and Kevin Alcántara getting his long-awaited first start as the DH. Dansby Swanson fills his familiar role at the back of the lineup.

Lefty Matthew Liberatore is on the mound for the Cardinals, which sets up nicely for the Cubs. Over 55 at-bats against him, members of this roster are batting .273 with an .848 OPS and two homers. Liberatore has upped his strikeout rate a bit this season, but he’s walking more batters than usual and giving up more homers than ever. All told, though, it’s a pretty standard season for the former No. 16 overall pick.

Liberatore was drafted by the Rays out of Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, AZ in 2018, then was sent to the Cards in early 2020 as part of the deal that included Randy Arozarena. The lefty was never dominant in the minors, but did well enough to matriculate through the system quickly. Part of that may have been the Cards’ lack of depth, as he opened the ’21 season at Triple-A after having never played above A-ball with Tampa.

I’d venture to say that would not have happened if he was right-handed, which is a reminder to all young parents to tie your kids’ right hands behind their backs when they are infants. Just kidding. You should wait until they’re old enough to pick up a ball, but not so old that their motor pathways are fully formed. And while I’m not really advocating for that kind of conditioning, it sure does help to be a left-handed thrower.

Of course, you still have to be able to execute. Despite a varied repertoire and a mid-90s fastball, Liberatore has been very hittable over the course of his career. He’s given up 414 knocks in 390.2 MLB innings, and 10 of the 67 hits he’s allowed this year went for homers. Most of the damage has come from lefty batters, even though Liberatatore has faced three times more righties. Lefties are slashing .365/.381/.712 with six homers so far. That’s good news for PCA and Busch, who has one of those two home runs mentioned earlier.

Those lefty batters will see a steady diet of sliders that tend to hang up in the outer-middle of the zone for hard contact. They’ll also get a fair number of fastballs and sinkers, with the occasional curve. Righties face much more of a mixed back that includes a lot more curves and changeups to go with the fastball and slider. The change has been Liberatore’s best pitch, hence the big reverse splits. Not that allowing a .282/.353/.393 slash to righties is a sign that he’s doing well against them.

Again, this is a matchup the Cubs should be able to exploit early and often to get out of St. Louis and this road trip with a winning record. First pitch is at 6:20pm CT on NBC/Peacock and The Score.

Last one of the roadtrip. pic.twitter.com/kZIqLeYfRs

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 31, 2026