Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/9/25): Pretty Standard Order, Boyd Looking for Nice Start
The Cubs are coming off their first series loss in nearly a month, and their reward is facing the Phillies in Philly. Depending on how you view it, the Phils dropping five in a row and nine of 10 is either a very good thing or a sign that they’re about to bounce back in a big way. They’ve been swept by both the Brewers and Pirates over the course of this recent skid, so maybe the Cubs should just keep up the NL Central dominance.
Matthew Boyd will bear a good bit of responsibility for the outcome as he makes his 13th start of the season. He should surpass his innings total from 2023 tonight, and he’ll do so in two fewer starts. His high from the five previous seasons is a mere 78.2 innings, which he should reach by his next start. Boyd remains on pace for his best performance since 2019 with Detroit; he just needs to stay healthy.
Ian Happ leads off in left, followed by Kyle Tucker in right, Seiya Suzuki at DH, and Pete Crow-Armstrong in center. Dansby Swanson is at short, Michael Busch is at first, Carson Kelly is catching, Nico Hoerner is at second, and Matt Shaw plays third.
They’re up against 35-year-old Zack Wheeler, one of the best and most consistent starters in baseball since 2021. Over the last four-plus seasons, he leads all pitchers with 24.8 fWAR; his 940 strikeouts trail only Dylan Cease (976); and his 834.1 innings are behind only Logan Webb (848.2). Among pitchers with at least 200 innings in that time, Wheeler’s 2.94 ERA is tied for 10th and his 2.93 FIP is seventh. Again, he’s been very consistent and his results match the underlying data.
Just about the only thing Wheeler doesn’t do exceptionally well is get grounders, but that hardly matters because he doesn’t walk many or give up a bunch of homers. His 96 mph fastball is up a little over last year and has remained nearly the same for four seasons, then he’s got a broad range of secondaries that can all get outs.
The sinker has been subpar this year after being Wheeler’s best pitch last season, but his splitter, slider, and curve have all been better. His splits have flipped a little as a result, with the splitter he throws mainly to left-handed batters fueling pretty solid reverse trends after mildly traditional results throughout his career. He’s also been much better at home this season, though that isn’t particularly novel.
Just like his team, Wheeler is coming off a rough outing in which he gave up six earned runs to the Braves. His four walks were the most he’s issued in a game this year, and the 16 outs recorded were a season-low. I am concerned that Wheeler is due for a big outing in this one, but maybe the Cubs can break through and keep him on the ropes.
That would mean getting better results than they have in the past, what with that aggregate .205/.252/.339 slash over 112 at-bats against Wheeler. This feels like one where the Cubs will just have to get to the bullpen. First pitch is at 5:45pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
