Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/9/26): Hot-Hitting Conforto Back at DH, Cabrera Starting

The Cubs romped in the series opener last night, giving them their second 10-game winning streak in just 23 total games. As has been the case so often this season, the bats ensured there was plenty of margin for the injury-riddled pitching staff. Not that the pitchers needed it, with Ben Brown stepping in to kick things off with four hitless innings.

“Our pitching staff is just better because our defense is so good,” Brown said after the game. “Our pitching staff can breathe a little bit because our offense is playing so well. Our pitching staff is incredibly deep because our coaches are so solid.”

Craig Counsell was only planning on getting three innings at most from his starter, who had not recorded more than seven outs since his second appearance of the season back on March 31. Because Brown worked so efficiently, throwing only 46 pitches, Counsell was able to push him an inning deeper than expected. That might not seem like much in the grand scheme, but every frame matters for this team right now.

It’s equally important for Edward Cabrera to work another deep outing and give the bullpen as much of a break as possible. Though there have been some concerns about the righty’s slight dip in velocity and significant drop in strikeout rate, he’s produced a little positive correction over the last two games. His sinker, which he throws more than his fastball, was up to a season-high 97 mph against the Padres. Even better, he set season highs with seven and eight Ks in each of those last two outings.

The hits still make me anxious, though, and he can’t continue to give up 1.25 of them per inning moving forward. I believe his curveball is the key that will unlock a new level of performance, as it’s been pretty spotty so far. We saw how Brown was able to dominate last night with his fastball, sinker, and curve, so now it’s Cabrera’s turn.

It sure won’t hurt if the offense provides the same level of support. Counsell is going with the exact same lineup as last night, which means Michael Conforto at DH and Moisés Ballesteros on the bench. Both players are heading in opposite directions lately, with Conforto arguably looking like MLB’s best hitter and Mo Baller hitting .065 with a -4 wRC+ over the last nine games. Among 349 players with at least 50 plate appearances, Conforto is the leader in batting average (.375), OBP (.480), and wRC+ (219). He’s also second with a .481 BABIP, so regression is coming.

They’re facing their second straight former Vanderbilt co-ace in Jack Leiter, cousin of former Cubs great Mark Leiter Jr. The 26-year-old righty was the second overall pick in 2021, eight slots above Kumar Rocker, but didn’t have to go through the process again the following year like last night’s starter. Leiter has experienced some of the same hiccups in his young career, however, and he’s struggled to avoid barrels.

More accurately, he’s had trouble keeping hitters off of just about anything other than the fastball. While he stacks up very well in terms of fastball velocity (96.8 mph), whiff rate (29.7%), and strikeout rate (26.2%), Leiter doesn’t get a ton of chase (31%) and he’s allowed seven homers in as many starts. His splits aren’t wildly irregular, and they’re almost identical between home and away, so it’s really just a matter of having weak secondaries.

The fastball and cutter, both of which he likes to throw up in the zone, have been his only dependable offerings this season. That’s a change from last season, when his slider was also very effective. I’m not sure whether he changed the grip to get more depth or what, but the results haven’t been good. We tend to think more movement is better, so generating another ~4 inches of vertical drop might seem like a positive development on paper.

Leiter’s problem is that he’s also lost almost an inch of glove-side movement from last season, making the pitch either more hittable or more spittable. Even though he’s getting a lot more chase and issuing fewer walks than last year, his WHIP is up because more balls are being put in play and falling safely. There’s a little bad luck involved, as evidenced by a .323 BABIP and a 4.45 FIP that is exactly one run below his ERA, but not enough to create a sense of imminent correction.

This could be one of those boom-bust games in which the Cubs strike out more than usual while also coming up with some big hits. Leiter is very capable of flashing his college form and dominating, but he’s just as likely to leave a few mistakes right over the heart of the plate. Even though I don’t like this matchup nearly as much as last night’s, I feel good about the Cubs pushing their streak to Spinal Tap levels.

First pitch is at 6:05pm CT on Marquee and The Score.

Saturday’s squad.

Catch tonight’s game on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/jJEnIbbn8h

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 9, 2026