Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/9/24): Tauchman Leads Off, Suzuki DH, Busch at 2B, Imanaga Starting for Stop
The Cubs have dropped all three of the games so far in this series, the last two by the slimmest possible margin. That puts them at 12-14 over their league-leading 26 one-run games, which is a mark of ignominy for skipper Craig Counsell. While he certainly can’t control everything, a big reason the Cubs opted to change managers and pay Counsell more than any of his peers or predecessors is that they wanted improvement around the margins.
Better bullpen management, a more consistent lineup, and, of course, more positive outcomes in the close games they didn’t win enough of last year. Entering Sunday’s series finale, the Cubs are three games below .500 and tied with the Cardinals for last place in the division. And wouldn’t you know it, their actual record is exactly the same as their expected mark.
Shōta Imanaga will need to be on point this afternoon if the Cubs want to escape Cincy with a win, but he’ll need help either way. Mike Tauchman is leading off in right and Seiya Suzuki returns to the lineup as the DH. Cody Bellinger is at first, Christopher Morel is at third, Ian Happ is in left, and Dansby Swanson is at short. Michael Busch slides over to second in place of the injured Nico Hoerner, then it’s Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Miguel Amaya behind the plate.
They’re facing Frankie Montas for the first time this season and should be able to get something going against him. The 31-year-old righty doesn’t miss many bats and doesn’t have particularly good control, though he does a decent job of keeping the ball in the park. Even if I had more time to add stats and analysis, this team isn’t really worth that right now.
First pitch is at 12:40pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Here is today’s #Cubs starting lineup against the Reds.
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— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 9, 2024
