Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/3/26): Hoerner Leads Off, Mo Baller DH, Boyd Bump Day
The Cubs have won 10 straight games at Wrigley and can earn their third sweep in a row there with another victory over the Diamondbacks. Today’s matchup is the best of the series, with Matthew Boyd going up against a veteran who’s had a very poor start to the 2026 season. Let’s get right into it because my time is very short this morning.
Boyd was roughed up in San Diego a few days ago, going just four innings with five runs allowed on eight hits. Though he’s among the best in the league at getting whiffs and strikeouts, hitters are barreling him up far too frequently. His changeup has been the biggest culprit so far, but the fastball hasn’t been very sharp either.
After more or less shutting down after an early outburst on Friday, the offense needs to step up today and make sure Boyd doesn’t have to be an ace. Ian Happ was a one-man show on Saturday, extending his on-base streak to 24 games with a homer before tripling and coming around to score an insurance run on a sac fly. He also doubled to finish just a single shy of the cycle.
Those who have been freaking out unnecessarily about Nico Hoerner can relax, as he’s back in the lineup after dealing with neck stiffness. It wasn’t a matter of taking a pitch to the helmet the other day, either. Moises Ballesteros is the DH, Alex Bregman is at third, Happ is in left, and Seiya Suzuki is in right. Michael Busch is at first, Carson Kelly is the catcher, Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center, and Dansby Swanson is the shortstop.
Going for the Diamondbacks is 37-year-old Merrill Kelly, who is in the first year of a two-year, $40 million deal he signed in the offseason. Arizona’s leadership may not be feeling great about that right now, as Kelly has allowed 15 earned runs on 21 hits and 12 walks through just 14.2 innings. He has struck out only nine batters and has given up five homers as he looks like one of the worst pitchers in the league right now.
Like Boyd, Kelly’s got a strong whiff rate and an awful barrel rate, thanks in part to a 92 mph fastball that has been routinely victimized. All of his pitches have negative value here in the early going, so the Cubs should be salivating at the thought of facing him with the wind blowing out hard to center. The forecast is calling for a stiff 14 mph breeze with gusts up to 30 mph, making this a very bad day for mistakes by the pitchers.
First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and The Score.
Same time, same place.
Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/EReP04OElC
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 3, 2026
