Chicago Cubs Lineup (3/14/26): Kelly at 1B, Long DH, Brown on Bump
The Cubs are back in action on Saturday for another road game as they look to creep closer to .500 after dropping one to the White Sox yesterday. There weren’t many regulars in that one, and even Craig Counsell was absent because he was in Green Bay to watch his daughter Rowan’s Whitefish Bay High School basketball team punch their ticket to the Division 2 state finals. Today is a different story, as a host of familiar faces litter the lineup.
Nico Hoerner is at second, Matt Shaw is back at third, Ian Happ is in left, and Carson Kelly is at first. Dylan Carlson patrols center, Moisés Ballesteros handles the catching, Kevin Alcántara is in right, and Jonathon Long is back in action as the DH. Jefferson Rojas bats ninth at short.
We have now seen two of the Cubs’ three main catchers get time at first, and Miguel Amaya has been working there in camp as well. Shaw made the start there on Wednesday, so it’s looking like Counsell will indeed go with a backup by committee when Michael Busch is out of the lineup.
This will be Ben Brown‘s third start and fourth overall appearance of the spring, the last of which was nothing short of disastrous. Though giving up three runs on as many hits might not be considered awful in the context of an exhibition, walking three and hitting two more fell well shy of acceptable. Brown did get three strikeouts for the third time, so at least he’s still missing bats.
As I’ve noted more than I probably should have at this point, I really wish I could watch these games to see how his changeup and sinker are developing. As frustrated as I am by how Marquee’s reduced coverage feels like a broken promise and a slap in fans’ faces, I’m more vexed by not being able to see what changes players are making. It’s one thing to read about a new pitch grip or different swing mechanics, but quite another to see it live.
Oh well.
Opposing the Cubs is Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland, who is entering his 10th season with the organization. He currently sits fourth all-time in team history with 65 wins, but he’s got a stranglehold on the top spot with 90 losses. Another typical season should see Freeland get to a career mark of 70-100 or worse, though it’s not really his fault. The southpaw hasn’t been great by any stretch, but his team has just been terrible for most of his tenure.
And while the Coors Effect has played a role in Freeland’s middling numbers, his strike and walk rates have been better at home. The problem is that he just doesn’t have the stuff to put many batters away, so he ends up allowing a whole lot of hard contact. His 92 mph fastball fills up the heart of the zone, as do his cutter, sweeper, and sinker. His seldom-used changeup tends to hang a little as well, leaving the knuckle curve as his only consistently effective pitch.
Freeland hasn’t been particularly durable and hasn’t reached 175 innings since 2018, but that’s not particularly uncommon in today’s game. At the end of the day, he’s a known commodity for a team that has a very tough time luring free agent pitchers. There are worse fates in life than to earn $13 million a year to live in Denver, so I can’t feel all that bad for him.
First pitch is at 3:10pm CT on 104.3 The Score.
Lined up for the Rockies. pic.twitter.com/vIi8ErTAaS
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 14, 2026
