Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/4/25): Happ Leads Off, Tucker Still Out, Boyd Bump Day
The Cubs imposed their will on Trevor Williams and the Nats’ subpar bullpen Tuesday night, knocking the ball all over the yard and cruising to a series-opening victory. That’s exactly what they’ll need to do as often as possible this month, because there will be little reprieve in terms of either breaks or competitive opponents. The Nats showed some fight early on, but this Cubs team has an iron jaw and can take several shots while still being able to land big blows late.
Matt Boyd didn’t need any help from the offense during his last start, which was his best as a Cub. He faced a season-low 21 batters over six innings of work and struck out eight with no walks, the third time he’d done so in his last four starts. Boyd just needs to keep things steady and hold the Nats within striking range tonight.
Ian Happ will lead off in left, then it’s Seiya Suzuki in right as Kyle Tucker remains sidelined with a bum right ring finger. Carson Kelly is the catcher, Pete Crow-Armstrong cleans up in center, Dansby Swanson is the shortstop, and Nico Hoerner is at second. Michael Busch mans first base, Justin Turner is the DH, and Matt Shaw plays third.
They’re facing 26-year-old southpaw MacKenzie Gore, a former top prospect who is ahead of his time when it comes to his name looking like something you’d see on a 12U travel team. Gore was part of the Padres’ package for Juan Soto, a deal that should have heavily favored the Nats. Washington also received regulars C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III, and James Wood, plus they got Josh Bell back via free agency this year. The only problem is that they remain quite bad, while the Padres have hardly missed a beat.
That’s not related to Gore’s efforts, as he currently leads MLB (qualified) with a 36.2% strikeout rate and 13.3 K/9. He has struck out at least eight batters in seven of his 12 starts, but he has yet to complete seven innings. That’s a little surprising given the Nats’ disastrous bullpen, but strikeout pitchers aren’t typically the most efficient. To wit, Gore has thrown at least 91 pitches in each start and has exceeded 100 pitches six times.
Though he’s lowered his walk rate from previous seasons, the Cubs would do well to wait him out a bit in this one. That’s easier said than done when facing his 95 mph fastball with cut/ride tendencies. Gore throws that pitch 50% of the time, setting up a 12-6 curve at around 82 mph and a bullet slider at 86-87 mph. The latter breaking pitch is his best by far, but he only throws it around 12% of the time.
That limited usage comes from throwing it almost exclusively to lefties, with the curve skewing heavily toward righties. It’s actually a bit shocking to see that Gore has put up mild reverse splits this season, though that’s been the case for him his whole career. And given how opposing teams stack their lineups with right-handed batters, his ability to limit them is that much more impressive.
Knowing how bad the bullpen is behind him, the Cubs really just need to do what they can to get past Gore as quickly as possible. He is susceptible to hits, having allowed five or more in half of his starts. He’s given up eight or more on three occasions, it’s just that he’s generally able to limit the damage due to his elite swing-and-miss rate. Even if he gets his share of punchouts, it’s entirely possible he’ll punch himself out by the 5th inning.
First pitch is at 5:45pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
