Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/26/22): Contreras Batting Second, Hoerner at SS, Steele Starting

It was raining in Cincy when I left this morning and I drove through pretty serious precipitation most of the way home, so we’ll see whether they can get this one in. The forecast looked terrible last night too, but they managed to avoid any weather in that one.

The Cubs dropped a close game as Willson Contreras and Nico Hoerner returned to pinch hit, so now they’re trying to close out the series with a W as both are back in the lineup. Christopher Morel leads off in center and Contreras bats second as the catcher with Ian Happ in left. Seiya Suzuki is in right, Frank Schwindel is the DH, and Patrick Wisdom is at third.

Alfonso Rivas is at first, Hoerner is the shortstop, and Jonathan Villar is at second.

Justin Steele is on the hill for the Cubs and he could make quick work of the Reds lineup if he continues his newfound aggressive approach. Being more efficient has been huge for Steele as he’s been able to avoid walks and long innings.

Reds starter Hunter Greene is one of the hardest throwers in MLB, boasting a fastball that averages almost 99 mph. He doesn’t always know where it’s going, though, and he’s prone to walk batters in bunches. His slider is the real weapon and he’ll throw it about 40% of the time for ugly swings.

As you might imagine, Greene gets hit really hard when he’s not locating well and he’s already given up 12 homers in just over 39 innings. If the Cubs can catch a few mistakes, they might be able to run away and hide in this one.

First pitch is set for 12:35pm ET on Marquee and 670 The Score.

Willy and Nico return to the #Cubs starting lineup! pic.twitter.com/GmW5X6B4uq

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 26, 2022