Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/8/25): Happ DH, PCA Cleanup, Horton Starting
We’re going to move quickly on this one yet again, but I hope to get back to more in-depth breakdowns after this weekend. My daughter just graduated high school — summa cum laude, class president, etc — and her open house is this afternoon. Meanwhile, my son has had four baseball games in the last two days and will play at least one more today. Monday should offer a much-needed reprieve.
Not for the Cubs, though, as they still have seven more games after this one before getting their second (and last) day off in June. Winning on Sunday would be big because it would mean eight straight series wins, but doing so on the road against the team with the best record in baseball carries more weight. It could also be an early defining moment for rookie starter Cade Horton, who has allowed only four earned runs over his last three starts.
The hard-throwing righty has gotten progressively more comfortable with the changeup he uses as a weapon against left-handed hitters, now he just needs more consistent results from his four-seam and sweeper. Despite being in the 72nd percentile for chase rate, Horton’s whiff and strikeout rates are in the 44th percentile or lower. He’s got that deceptive short-arm delivery and has limited walks to a great degree, now it’s time to increase the strikeouts.
Ian Happ remains in the leadoff spot, but he gets a break from the field as the DH. Kyle Tucker is in right, Seiya Suzuki is in right, Pete Crow-Armstrong plays center, and Carson Kelly does the catching. Michael Busch handles first, Dansby Swanson is at short, Nico Hoerner takes the keystone, and Matt Shaw is at third.
They’re facing longtime Cardinals foe Jack Flaherty, a 29-year-old righty who has bounced around quite a bit over the past few seasons. After looking like an ace in the making back in 2019, he’s settled into a solid mid-rotation role with a fastball/slider/curve combo. Breaking balls are Flaherty’s carrying tool, with the curve standing out in particular this season.
He’ll get his share of strikeouts most days, but he’s also prone to hanging a mistake or three that will be tagged. Flaherty is among the lower third in MLB when it comes to barrels, hard-hit rate, and grounders, so home runs are often on the menu. That’s been the case for members of this Cubs roster, as they have just a .182 average with a .439 slugging percentage against him.
They’ll need to capitalize on his inevitable mistakes to leave the Motor City with a game and series win, and we’ll see if they can do just that at 12:40pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
For the series.
Watch today’s game live on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/x8goKYijz9
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 8, 2025
