Chicago Cubs Lineup (9/10/25): Santana 1B, Turner DH, Taillon Starting
The Cubs evened things up last night behind another sterling performance by Cade Horton and a late rally the likes of which have been few and far between in the second half. Their path to a series victory is blocked by a very formidable opponent tonight, but they have to prove they can beat good pitching if they want to win in the postseason. Getting a solid start from Jameson Taillon in his return from a second trip to the IL will be huge.
Taillon was in his second start back from a calf strain that sidelined him for nearly two months when groin tightness forced him out of the game. That was on August 24, so this absence wasn’t nearly as long. He was sharp in those two recent starts, allowing two earned runs on eight hits over 11 innings. Taillon’s strikeouts is actually a little higher than last year, but the problem is that his grounder rate is at a career low.
Not ideal for a guy who throws a ton of strikes and no longer has much zip on his fastball. Taillon is at his best when he’s getting outs via contact, as that allows him to limit damage and work efficiently. Turning innings over quickly tonight will be very important as the Cubs face one of the best pitchers in the game.
Nico Hoerner takes leadoff duties since there’s a lefty on the mound for Atlanta, then it’s Ian Happ in left, Seiya Suzuki in right, and Carson Kelly behind the plate. Carlos Santana seeks his first Cubs hit as a profoundly suboptimal No. 5 hitter, but we know his glove still plays at first. Dansby Swanson is at short, Justin Turner is the DH, Matt Shaw is at third, and Pete Crow-Armstrong slides down to the ninth spot in center.
Update: Shaw has been scratched and Willi Castro will replace him in the lineup.
They’re up against lanky lefty Chris Sale, whose whip-like sidearm delivery creates a nasty east-west pitch profile that has baffled batters for 15 years now. The 36-year-old shows no signs of slowing, as he’s got the same 2.38 ERA he had in last season’s Cy Young campaign. He’s doing it in a different manner, however, upping his slider usage to over 48% while cutting way back on the sinker and changeup. Sale is even throwing the fastball a little more frequently, giving him almost a reliever’s repertoire.
That four-seam is averaging just under 95 mph, his highest since 2018, and the slider is just over 79 mph with a great deal more horizontal movement than most. His fastball also plays more like a sinker, getting far less ride and a lot more arm-side run as a result of his low arm slot. That may be part of why he ditched the sinker, just didn’t need it.
Sale’s slider is the best in the business when it comes to value, and it’s impressive that it’s so good even when hitters have a 50/50 shot if they’re guessing. Hell, it’s his only breaking ball. You could sit on spin and still flail away at it. The southpaw has always been tougher on lefties and that hasn’t changed, so the right-handed hitters may have to shoulder the load in this one. It may just be a matter of hanging on until the Braves to to the bullpen.
First pitch is at 6:15pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
