Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/10/26): Shaw at 3B, Taillon Trying to Snap Losing Streak

The Cubs are now on a losing streak, having dropped their fourth game out of the last 24, and they’re trying to right the ship in Arlington before getting a much-needed day off. It’s not going to be easy with a man who once laid claim to the title of World’s Best Pitcher going for the Rangers, but we’ve seen this team pull off some pretty big wins already.

Jameson Taillon hasn’t taken a loss in his last five starts, a stretch that began back on April 12 with the Cubs’ first of 15 consecutive Wrigley Field victories. Though he’s given up two home runs in each of his last two outings, he’s only allowed five total runs by working efficiently. More of that this afternoon would be ideal.

Nico Hoerner is leading off at second and Moisés Ballesteros returns to the starting lineup as the DH. Seiya Suzuki is in right, Ian Happ is in left, Michael Busch is at first, and Carson Kelly is the catcher. Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center. Dansby Swanson is the shortstop, and Matt Shaw handles third. This group has very overall experience against their opponent, with Swanson accounting for 34 of the lineup’s 46 career at-bats.

That opponent is Jacob deGrom, who is in the fourth season of a five-year, $185 million deal he signed after nine years with the Mets. He hadn’t pitched more than 92 innings in the last three of those, and he totaled just 41 frames over his first two campaigns with the Rangers. He bounced back to go 172.2 innings over 30 starts last year, posting a 2.97 ERA.

Even though several of his seasons have been cut short by injuries, deGrom has had a sub-3.00 ERA in nine separate years. The outliers were as follows: 3.04 in 2016, 3.53 in 2017, and 3.08 in 2022. He’s all the way up to 3.11 through seven starts this season, and his 31.3% strikeout rate is actually a little higher than his career average. The lanky righty is also sitting 97.2 mph with his fastball, which is two ticks down from his high in 2021 (only 92 innings) and just over a tick higher than his overall average.

That heater hasn’t been quite as effective as it once was, probably because that kind of velocity from a starting pitcher is no longer novel, but his 91 mph slider is still nasty. His 90 mph changeup may be even better, as it’s generating more per-pitch value than ever with serious depth and deception. The scariest thing about deGrom is that he’s willing and able to bully batters with strikes.

This isn’t a guy who needs to get chase, though he’s very good at fooling hitters out of the zone too. We’re talking about an elite strike-thrower who hasn’t posted a walk rate as high as 7% since 2018. That’s Kyle Hendricks-level control with a mildly elevated level of stuff. I won’t belabor the point here because deGrom is a known commodity; the Cubs just need to get the job done somehow.

First pitch is at 1:35pm CT on Marquee and The Score.

Sunday lineup. ?‍↔️

Catch today’s game on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/X5Lpc3Fpv6

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 10, 2026