Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/18/26): Conforto DH Again, PCA in Center, Imanaga Starting

The Cubs haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire offensively, and certainly not when facing good starting pitching, but Craig Counsell is betting that water will find its level. If you would like to place a similar wager at the DraftKings sportsbook grafted to Wrigley Field, you’ll have to do it soon, as it was announced today that in-person wagering will cease at the end of the month. The venue will remain a bar and restaurant, but now it’ll be directly connected to the ballpark.

If I were to bet on any Cubs pitcher to earn a win right now, it’d be Shōta Imanaga. Ben Brown has been great, and he’s going tomorrow night, but he isn’t pitching deep enough into games just yet. I would have lost money last week when Imanaga took a loss in Atlanta despite giving up just two runs over seven innings. He’s been very steady this season, and the home runs haven’t hurt nearly as much.

That didn’t matter the last time out, and won’t tonight if the bats stay cold. With their Wrigley winning streak back on the line, the Cubs need more from the offense. Nico Hoerner leads off at second, followed by Michael Busch at first and Alex Bregman at third. Ian Happ is in left with Seiya Suzuki in right, and both need to be better in run-producing situations moving forward.

Michael Conforto certainly can’t be blamed for the team’s general inability to drive runners in, which is why he’s back at DH again for this one. Carson Kelly is catching and Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center after understandably catching flak for a heated exchange with a White Sox fan on Sunday. A video of him saying something that rhymes with “Pluck my trick, snitch” started making the rounds, and PCA was contrite when speaking to reporters before Monday’s game.

“I regret my choice of words the most and who that affects in my life directly and indirectly,” the outfielder said. “I don’t think any of the women in my life would ever think I would use those kinds of words regularly, especially referring to them.”

He also regretted the fact that young fans will see the interaction on social media, and vowed to channel his intensity in more constructive ways. Speaking of which, I should channel my own efforts into sharing that Dansby Swanson is batting ninth.

They’re facing Brandon Sproat, whose mustache is giving me serious John Franco vibes. Maybe that’s because Sproat was drafted by the Mets and pitched in their organization for two seasons before being traded to the Brewers as part of the Freddy Peralta deal. A second-round pick out of Florida in 2023, Sproat advanced to Triple-A in his first pro season. Though his numbers at that level weren’t spectacular, he earned a September call-up last season.

This will be his seventh start as a Brewer, the first six of which have been a bumpy ride. Sproat has struck out 36 batters in as many innings, but he’s also walked 20 and has given up 35 hits. That could be the cure for what ails the Cubs lately, and it sure would be nice to see them get a few fly balls up into that stiff wind blowing out to center tonight.

Sproat has been prone to giving up hard contact in the air, which tends to happen when you spray the ball all over and are then forced to pipe challenge fastballs at big league hitters. The cutter actually heads up his repertoire, accounting for 29% of his throws with even distribution to batters on both sides of the plate. The sinker is at 27% overall, but leads the way with 35% against righties. The curve and changeup are used much more against lefty batters, and the sweeper is thrown almost exclusively to righties.

Neither side has an advantage in terms of average, but left-handed hitters see Sproat’s stuff much better. It’s been tougher for him at home so far, but I think that might be more about the ball not carrying as well in some open-air parks thus far. This sets up really nicely for the Cubs to play longball.

First pitch is at 6:40pm CT on Marquee and The Score.

A new homestand starts today.

Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/XjtEDVJ2uj

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 18, 2026