Chicago Cubs Lineup (5/31/25): Happ Leads Off, Turner at 1B, Pomeranz Opening

Hey, folks, gonna be really quick again today because I’m heading out to the ballpark for my son’s doubleheader. They played their first game of the summer season last night, his first in about 10 months, and it was really great to be out there again. It helped that he got the win on the bump and doubled home a pair to support his cause, but it would have been a lot better if the Cubs hadn’t lost right before we left for that one.

It was their first loss in a series opener at Wrigley this season as they fell to Andrew Abbott and the Reds for the second time in a week. More frustrating than the loss itself is that all four games against Cincinnati have seen the Cubs fall behind early in a big way: 2-6, 1-6, 3-8, and 0-6. While the offense managed to recover in two of those, the starting pitching has left a boatload to be desired.

Ben Brown was a part of that when he allowed eight earned runs over 4.1 innings before the offense bailed him out. Though the Cubs still believe in him, his struggles early and late in starts prompted Craig Counsell to do something different.

“We’re just trying to win the game,” the manager explained on Friday. “The best way to win the game, we think, is to consider an opener tomorrow.”

That will be Drew Pomeranz, one of two options I had suggested the Cubs use as an opener to see if they can shake something loose for Brown mentally. It’s not a physical issue for the big righty, as he has admitted, it’s just a matter of him getting a little too amped up and getting away from what works best for him. I still have concerns about his early issues, but we’ll see how this goes.

They’re up against Nick Lodolo, who pitched okay against them last week in that same game Brown started. I’ll direct you back to that lineup preview for specifics on his repertoire so as to save myself a little time, but I’ll add that I think we see continued regression to the mean from a guy who Reds fans will tell you has gotten a bit lucky this season.

Even though the Cubs got to Lodolo early, most of their damage came late against the bullpen. I think we’d all prefer they just bury their opponents r. Well, unless you’re a Reds fan reading this. But why the hell would you be doing that?

First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.