Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/15/26): Suzuki DH, Mo Baller Catching, Shaw in RF, Imanaga Starting
The Cubs managed to break even on the road trip after dropping two of three to the Rockies in Denver, and tonight is a rematch of that second pitching duel. What’s funny is that the matchup in question was the lowest-scoring affair of the set despite featuring a pair of starters who’ve had a tough time avoiding crooked numbers. The wind will be blowing out to center this evening, so the propensity for home runs won’t be too dissimilar from Coors Field.
Shōta Imanaga hadn’t pitched a homerless game since May 2 against the Diamondbacks, but he managed to keep the Rox in the yard over five scoreless innings. He only gave up two hits while striking out seven, giving him a game score of 69 that was also his best since that aforementioned outing. He shouldn’t need to be quite that sharp in this one, but it sure would be nice if he is.
Pete Crow-Armstrong remains in the leadoff spot, then it’s Alex Bregman batting second at third base and Michael Busch batting third. Seiya Suzuki returns to the lineup as the DH, Ian Happ is in left, and Nico Hoerner is at second. Moisès Ballesteros is the catcher, Matt Shaw patrols right, and Dansby Swanson is at short.
They’re once again facing longtime Reds righty Michael Lorenzen, who just had one of his two best games of the season last week. He nearly matched Imanaga, allowing one run on just two hits with seven strikeouts in five innings of work. Those Ks set a new season high, and the hits were his fewest allowed in 14 starts, all of which stood in stark contrast to an ERA that sat at 8.01 heading into that game.
Lorenzen’s strikeout rate has fallen over the last several years, matching a downward trend in velocity, and his stuff has taken a huge hit in the thin air. His Baseball Savant page is the worst I’ve scouted so far, and his -24 run value is still in the first percentile even after gaining two runs against the Cubs. He has gotten poor results on all seven of his pitches, which leads one to wonder why he’s still throwing all of them.
The 34-year-old has always had a starter’s repertoire, which has enabled him to mix and match to tread water even if some of those offerings weren’t sharp. This season, however, he’s been unable to get anything working. Even after that last effort, lefties are slashing an absurd .373/.428/.577 with a .433 wOBA against him this season. What’s really wild is that those marks jump to .418/.459/.716 when he’s on the road.
After flailing away helplessly against Lorenzen last week, the Cubs have to bounce back in a big way tonight. No excuses for not coming out and punching the Rockies right in the mouth. First pitch is at 7:05pm CT on Marquee and The Score.
