Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/30/24): Hoerner Leads Off, Busch at 1B, Hendricks Starting
I skipped the lineup altogether yesterday and will keep this one very brief, but more thorough previews should return next week. The Cubs got a rare win with Justin Steele on the mound Saturday and now have a chance to win the series against the Brewers with another victory. Speaking of Steele, his impassioned wake-up call may have been exactly what this team needed to emerge from its funk.
Either that or the Cubs will just fall right back into a sloppy style of play that sees them giving away runs on both sides of the ball with alarming regularity. Staying focused is typically necessary with Kyle Hendricks on the mound, though he’s been very sharp since returning to the rotation. More of that vintage, ace-level performance will make it much easier for the offense to get out to a lead.
Nico Hoerner got the party started yesterday and Michael Busch gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead two pitches into the game, and they’re back in the same spots for this one. Cody Bellinger is the DH, Seiya Suzuki is in right, and Ian Happ is in left following another go-ahead homer in the late innings. Christopher Morel desperately needs to figure out what he’s doing at third base, Dansby Swanson is at short, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center. Miguel Amaya handles the catching duties in this one.
They’re facing Freddy Peralta for the third time this season and need to get more going against him than they did in that last one. The slight righty punched out 11 Cubs in just 5.2 innings of work, surrendering one run on a solo homer. He allowed three runs in the first matchup, though that was mainly because he walked a season-high six batters.
Peralta will miss plenty of bats and doesn’t give up many hits, so the Cubs are going to have to take advantage of his mistakes when he makes them. First pitch is at 1:10pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Here is today’s #Cubs starting lineup for the series finale against Milwaukee!
Tune in: https://t.co/Gs2hZXyTjH pic.twitter.com/BeV58iq8Cy
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 30, 2024