Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/18/25): PCA Leads Off, Bruján at 3B, Rea Trying to Banish Sunday Scaries
It’s Sunday and the Cubs have won the first two games of the series, which means they’re now facing a far more formidable nemesis than the White Sox. Craig Counsell‘s squad has won just once this season on a Sunday — five weeks ago in LA — and they’re 4-11 in series finales. They have won all eight series openers at Wrigley but have won only one closer, also against the Dodgers on a Wednesday. That means they have yet to win on Sunday at home.
Colin Rea is the right person to turn that around, as he remains undefeated in his surprisingly successful second stint with the Cubs. His 94 mph fastball has been his best weapon even though it doesn’t have any particularly outstanding characteristics. He gets very little chase and doesn’t strike out many batters, but he limits hard contact and doesn’t beat himself with walks.
Rea has done a much better job of keeping the ball in the yard this season, a task that should be quite a bit easier this afternoon than in either of the first two games in the series. After blowing out hard on Friday and Saturday, it appears to be blowing in from center on Sunday. Of course, that could change in a hurry.
The Cubs haven’t needed the longball thus far and have actually been out-homered 4-2, so the wind may be disproportionately advantageous for them. Pete Crow-Armstrong has one of those homers and has driven in eight in the series so far, so he remains in the leadoff spot. Kyle Tucker is in right, Seiya Suzuki is in left, Michael Busch plays first, and Carson Kelly is behind the plate. Dansby Swanson plays short, Moisés Ballesteros is the DH, Nico Hoerner is at second, and Vidal Bruján plays third.
They’re up against yet another young Sox starter in 24-year-old Jonathan Cannon, a 2022 third-round pick out of Georgia who moved quickly through the system and threw 124.1 innings for the worst team in modern baseball history last season. Maybe the Sox should trade him to the Rockies so he can be on a team that loses even more games.
Though two of Cannon’s appearances weren’t technically starts, he served as the bulk man in both. His longest outing of the season came against the A’s when he went 7.2 innings after opener Tyler Gilbert got three outs. Cannon is kind of an odd pitcher in that he gets very little extension from his 6-foot-6 frame, coming from a low three-quarter slot and pitching backwards with his four-seam as his fourth pitch.
The righty has gotten good results from the 89 mph cutter he throws slightly more often than any other pitch, particularly against left-handed hitters. His sinker is next and is more of a weapon against right-handed hitters, then he has a changeup he’ll throw to batters on either side. The 85 mph offspeed pitch gets big depth, as does his 93 mph sinker, but he doesn’t get nearly as many grounders as you’d think given those shapes.
Cannon is pretty split-neutral as far as platoons go, but he’s been much better at home so far. That is probably just a much smaller sample from just three starts on the South Side, so I don’t think sleeping in his own bed last night will turn him into an ace. He’s been pretty good on the whole, but things need to turn around for the Cubs at some point and it feels like Cannon will be on the wrong end of a fusillade this afternoon.
First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Series finale vs. the Sox.
Watch the game live on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/ChWMA48A3c
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 18, 2025
Ed. note: This week will be a very light one at CI because several of us are tied up with various outside responsibilities. Apologies in advance for a general lack of fresh content through Thursday or so.
