Chicago Cubs Lineup (3/8/25): Happ Leads Off, Suzuki RF, Boyd Starting
The Cubs followed up a night game Thursday with a rainout Friday, which would have paid out big-time if you had a parlay on the unlikeliest combination of back-to-back Cactus League games of the preseason. In any case, they’re back home in what should be better conditions to host a Mariners that could be exciting if they actually choose to try. They might have the best starting rotation in baseball, though that took a little hit when George Kirby was shut down due to shoulder inflammation.
Even if Kirby is able to come back quickly and they avoid the injury bug the rest of the way, everyone saw what happened last year when they remained passive at the deadline.
“The fact that they missed the playoffs by one game, and didn’t go out and add an impact bat or two when you have the best pitching staff in baseball,” Justin Turner said to Bob Nightengale, “just seems absurd to me.”
Preach.
The Cubs could be in that same position come late July, so we’ll see whether and how they choose to approach the deadline. In the meantime, we’ll get a look at one of their earliest big offseason adds in Matthew Boyd. The lefty is on for the third time this spring and we should see how he’s rounding into form. He seems to have been working through some things in his first two starts, with his six strikeouts offset by as many hits with three walks.
His counterpart this afternoon is one of the young arms powering the Mariners’ elite rotation. Logan Gilbert looks a lot like Footloose-era Kevin Bacon, just with more hair and (presumably) worse dance moves. He sure can make the baseball dance, though, boasting a broad arsenal released with 7.6 foot extension that puts him in MLB’s 100th percentile. That makes his 96.6 mph fastball play closer to 99, and it’s got a little cut to boot.
Gilbert actually favors a gyro slider that gets less sweep but more depth than most, then the four-seam, with a splitter serving as his offspeed offering. The curve is kind of in that death ball category, often sitting right on the zero line for induced vertical break. It’s got more sweep than, say, Ben Brown’s curve, but it still falls well outside the norm for its pitch type. A high-ride cutter with just slightly more h-break than his slider finishes things off.
Gilbert finished sixth in Cy Young voting last season and might not even be the best starter on his own team, so the M’s should be fun to watch.
The Cubs have been pretty fun to watch when we actually can watch them, and their looming trip to Japan means we’re seeing more regulars than usual. Ian Happ once again leads off in left, Seiya Suzuki is in right, and Kyle Tucker will attempt to keep fans from unnecessarily freaking out about his hitting. Justin Turner is at first, Dansby Swanson plays short, Matt Shaw is at third, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center. Miguel Amaya is behind the plate and Jon Berti takes second to round out a lineup that looks like one they could field in Tokyo.
First pitch is at 2:05pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
