Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/30/25): Turner at First, Happ in Left, Rea on Bump

After a “weak sweep” during which they outscored the moribund Rockies by only four runs, the Cubs are 14 games over .500 and carry a three-game lead into the weekend. Now they face a Reds team that put a little scare in them despite what might look like a pair of big wins by the North Siders. I mean, yes, they were big wins, but the Cubs had to come back from being down 2-6 and 3-8 in their victories. And the Cincy starter from the game the Reds won is back on the bump this afternoon.

And just so we’re clear, that quoted phrase came courtesy of Mike Mulligan from the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. I’m reasonably sure the eponymous hero of the book about a man and his steam shovel would not have offered such a hot take.

Craig Counsell waited quite a bit longer than usual to name his starter for this one, eventually settling on Colin Rea. It was Rea’s turn in the rotation anyway, but having yet another Thursday off meant the Cubs could have moved things around to bump things up if they wanted to.

Ian Happ leads off playing left, Kyle Tucker is in right, Seiya Suzuki is the DH, Carson Kelly is behind the plate, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center. Dansby Swanson is playing short, Nico Hoerner is in at second, Justin Turner is at first, and Matt Shaw is playing third.

Aforementioned Reds starter Andrew Abbott is a 25-year-old southpaw who looks at least 10 years older and could pass for former Cubs great Andrew Chafin if he grew his hair out. If he ends up being interesting enough for Hollywood to produce a biopic, you know the casting director will zero in on Jessie Plemons to play Abbott. Based on how the lefty has performed so far this season, a screenplay might actually be in the works.

Abbott is 4-0 after his last outing against the Cubs, and he continues to get incredible results with the 92 mph fastball he throws almost 50% of the time. That pitch wasn’t on point in their previous matchup, but his 84 mph changeup was excellent. Abbott also got a boost from his 87 mph cutter, a pitch he threw more frequently than usual. He has given up very little hard contact, though the Cubs’ only run against him last week came via a Turner home run.

Wait, that can’t be right; Turner was DFA’d by Cubs fans at least a month ago.

That was the first dinger Abbott had allowed in six games, as his other three all came in his first three starts. That’s pretty remarkable for a guy with a 25.5% groundball rate (2nd percentile) who pitches in a hitter-friendly park. He may get a little help from the wind, which is blowing from left to right and slightly in at a very light 4 mph as of this writing.

Even if he does get a bump from the weather, the Cubs should be able to get over on Abbott. They tagged him for six hits over 5.2 innings, the most he’s allowed in a game this year, while striking out just twice. Abbott hasn’t struck out fewer than four in any other game. The 23 batters were also the most he’s faced so far in a start, he just managed to scatter the hits and a pair of walks well enough to avoid real damage.

The Cubs need to put a blemish on that record and start this series off the right way. First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.

🗣️: CUBS BASEBALL

Watch today’s game live on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/JzCjvWJ2ia

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 30, 2025