Chicago Cubs Lineup (7/18/26): Boyd Starting National Hot Dog Day Cap Giveaway Game

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council decided way back in 1991 that the third Wednesday in July would be designated as National Hot Dog Day. Since said day fell during the break, the Cubs are celebrating today with a giveaway cap sponsored by Vienna Beef that is festooned with pictures of Pete Crow-Armstrong. Okay, it’s actually covered in little weiners.

I’d have preferred to get a replica of the Twinkle Dee and Twinkle Dum shirt Theo Epstein was wearing yesterday, but that’s just me. In the meantime, the Cubs have an actual game to play following their wet fart of a second-half opener last night. Maybe they can walk through the new Champions Gate at Gallagher Way to soak in the vibes of bygone World Series weiners winners.

Matthew Boyd is on the bump as he looks to produce an injury-free run of starts that will keep the Cubs in postseason contention. This will be just his 10th start of the season, and he’s struggled to find any consistency between two IL stints. The good news is that he’s plenty rested and should not need to worry about any second-half swoons due to a high innings count.

The other good news is that Boyd reached 10 years of service time today. He’s pitching in front of a lineup that features Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, Seiya Suzuki in right, and Michael Busch at first. Alex Bregman is at third, Ian Happ is in left, Nick Hoerner is at second and Pedro Ramírez is the DH. I’ll be honest, I’d almost forgotten he was still on the roster. Dansby Swanson is at short and Miguel Amaya does the catching.

They’re up against Taj Bradley, who has emerged as the Twins’ No. 2 starter in his first full season with them after coming over last July in exchange for Griffin Jax. Bradley missed two weeks in May with right pec strain inflammation, but he’s been no worse for it and has increased his workload steadily.

The stout righty has gone seven innings in three of his last four starts, working efficiently with a 97 mph fastball, a 90 mph cutter, and a 91 mph splitter. He’s also got a big curve that plays well out of his extreme over-the-top slot. His mix keeps him off barrels, but he frequently misses down and will walk a lot of batters. Bradley will give the Cubs fits if he’s dialed in, but he tends to give up a lot of contact in the air when he’s not as sharp.

First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and The Score.