Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/22/24): Hoerner Leads Off, Turner 1B, No Caissie, Assad Starting

I’m really worn out and hangry, so forgive me for openly bitching about Owen Caissie‘s absence right in the headline. The Cubs are up against a lefty, hence the rookie riding the pine for a second game in a row so Kyle Tucker can work his way back to something resembling a No. 2 hitter. But if Caissie and Michael Busch can be benched, and Pete Crow-Armstrong can be moved down, why does the team’s worst hitter over the last three-plus weeks need to keep batting second?

Maybe it’s because they’re facing a reverse-split lefty, in which case Craig Counsell should be loading up on left-handed hitters. And we’re not talking about mild splits this season, which is something I’ll get into soon.

Javier Assad is on the bump after being recalled from Iowa — sort of, since he never reported there — to replace Ryan Brasier, who was placed on the IL with a strained ERA. And groin. Assad has gone only four innings in each of his two starts, though he looked better against the Pirates than he did against the Blue Jays. Keeping the Cubs in the game is all that matters, and it would be really nice if he could eat at least five innings.

The lineup is a pretty standard Craig Counsell setup against southpaws, with Nico Hoerner leading off at second and Tucker in right. Seiya Suzuki is the DH, Justin Turner cleans up at first, Carson Kelly is the catcher, and Ian Happ handles left. Pete Crow-Armstrong slides down to seventh, Dansby Swanson is the shortstop, and Matt Shaw plays third.

Turner has been very good against Anderson (.500/.553/1.000, 5 HRs), so it makes sense to keep him in there. However, I’d prefer to see him at DH for the scuffling Suzuki while Busch plays first. As for Tucker, we’ll just have to hope he figures out whatever it is that’s holding him back. If he’s indeed at full health, it’s either a serious mechanical issue or it’s between his ears. He’s got a 1.902 OPS in 14 ABs against tonight’s starter, so…

They’re up against Tyler Anderson, a 35-year-old lefty with an over-the-top delivery that makes you think he’d be a big curveball guy. Not only does Anderson not throw a curve, but he doesn’t work north-south at all. Of all the pitchers I’ve profiled, his stuff is easily the farthest away from the zero line for vertical movement. Only the slider is even within six inches of the line, and only barely so.

Maybe that’s why he’s in the first percentile in MLB for run value (-21) and fastball value (-17). Anderson’s four-seam and cutter have been brutalized, and his sinker would be just as rough if he threw it more often. His changeup, traditionally his best pitch, has not been good. Nor has his slider, though he throws it too infrequently to matter much.

Anderson does throw the slider and sinker almost solely to left-handed hitters, who have accounted for only 30% of the batters he’s faced, so you can basically triple the percentages of those pitches to lefties. With his stuff playing so poorly this season, his mildly reverse career splits have skewed heavily away from the norm. Lefties are slashing .305/.376/.603 with a .411 wOBA and 10 homers. Righties have tagged him for 17 homers, but they’ve had more than twice as many chances.

His numbers are much better in Anaheim, so maybe that’s why Counsell opted against playing what appear to be pretty obvious percentages. I’m famished and desperately need to eat, so that’s as deep as we’ll dive in tonight. The Cubs should be able to take care of business in this one, but I’m still in wait-and-see mode with an offense that has failed to capitalize on opportunities even in wins.

First pitch is at 8:38pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.

Going back to Cali.

Watch game one against the Angels on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/dywSYUl6JA

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 22, 2025