Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/22/25): Hoerner SS, Bruján 2B, Rea Starting

The Cubs got an offensive outburst on an afternoon that saw the flags starched, dropping five homers on the Mariners to even the series. Ian Happ led off the game with a dinger, then added a big shot later to pass Kris Bryant on the franchise’s all-time list. He remains underappreciated and might be until his time on the North Side comes to an end, but he’s an integral part of the team’s success and makes the Cubs much better when he’s hot.

Colin Rea has been a much bigger part of the rotation than expected, and he’s on the bump with the series on the line. He’s cooled a bit since a very strong start, so fingers crossed for an another money outing this afternoon. With the Mariners’ ace on the mound, just being good enough might not be good enough. That’s why more crooked numbers will be necessary.

Happ leads off in left, Kyle Tucker is the DH, Seiya Suzuki is in right, and Pete Crow-Armstrong cleans up in center. Michael Busch is at first, Nico Hoerner slides over to short to give Dansby Swanson a day off, and Matt Shaw is at third. Reese McGuire does the catching and Vidal Bruján gets his second start in a row, this time at second base.

I’d normally offer a lot more on 28-year-old righty Logan Gilbert, but I’m currently at a baseball tournament in the BFE with some of the worst cell coverage possible. Gilbert was slowed by a right elbow strain that cost him all of May, so this is just his second game back from the IL. He looked sharp last week, striking out 10 Red Sox with just three hits and a walk over five innings.

The M’s may be conservative with his pitch count, which is very good news for the Cubs. Gilbert’s huge extension makes his 95 mph fastball play up, but his splitter is his best weapon. Thrown around 82-83 mph, it gets big depth and sweep while presenting a massive velo difference from the heater. He’s an equal-opportunity pitcher, using everything against hitters on either side, and has virtually even splits as a result.

That hasn’t held true this season, as Gilbert has wholly dominated right-handed hitters. We’ll see whether that holds or if the Cubs can inflate the numbers a bit. The wind is blowing out hard to center yet again, so we could see another slugfest.

First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.