CUBS LINEUP — After a disappointing showing and loss on Opening Day, the Cubs came roaring back to beat the Nationals 10-2 on Saturday. That was a convincing, stressfree win and I’d like about 99 more of those this season, please and thanks. Perhaps even starting today with the finale at Wrigley Field.
Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for Shota Imanaga’s first start of 2026. This one comes against Nationals righty Jake Irvin, who has some ripping lefty/righty splits (more on that below).
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
Michael Busch, 1B Alex Bregman, 3B Ian Happ, LF Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF Nico Hoerner, 2B Carson Kelly, C Moises Ballesteros, DH Dansby Swanson, SS Michael Conforto, RFFor his career, Jake Irvin has had a brutal time against left-handed hitters: .269/.339/.505 (.361 wOBA). And that comes with a staggering 16.4% HR/Fly ball ratio.
So that pretty much entirely explains the decision to swap out Matt Shaw for Michael Conforto this afternoon. The latter is a lefty and has a history of top-level success at the big-league level (albeit not super recently). And with Seiya Suzuki still out, this is the time to find out if he’s got anything left in the tank.
Beyond that, the only other change to the Cubs lineup is swapping Miguel Amaya out for Carson Kelly, while moving Kelly (or really the “catcher” spot) up in the order.
Washington Nationals Lineup:
TBAPitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Shota Imanaga, LHP
We all know how rough the second half of the season was for Shota Imanaga last year, and there’s no doubt it’ll be on our minds this afternoon for his first start of 2026. But I also don’t think I’m resigned to the belief that he’s just all of a sudden and completely toast.
Imanaga had a great first year in 2024 and a solid first half of 2025. Then, he was hurt and had to deal with that down the stretch. If he’s actually healed up, the Cubs say he is, and back to his usual self, there’s no reason to believe he can’t just start succeeding at a high level again. We know he has that ability.
Unfortunately, the wind is blowing out to left pretty strongly today, which is not ideal for your left-handed fly ball pitcher. Then again, the Nationals are FAR from the toughest lineup he’ll face this season, so he’ll have to find some way to succeed despite the conditions.
Washington Nationals: Jake Irvin, RHP
What Jake Irvin misses in effectiveness and productivity (4.94 career ERA) he makes up for in longevity. The Nationals righty has made a total of 66 starts over the last two seasons, which is behind only Logan Webb (67) in all of baseball. Of course, Webb was worth 10.0 WAR over that stretch with his 3.34 ERA, while Irvin’s ERA is north of 5.00.
Why does Irvin struggle so much? Well, for one, lefties just absolutely destroy him: .269/.339/.505 (.361 wOBA) for his career. And that comes with a staggering 16.4% HR/Fly ball ratio. Basically, if you’re a lefty and you elevate off Irvin, you have a pretty good shot of hitting one out. Good news for the Cubs lineup today, I’d say.
To that end, Michael Conforto, Michael Busch, and Pete Crow-Armstrong have all homered off Irvin in their careers. Ian Happ also has a couple of doubles and four walks against him.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (1-1) vs Washington Nationals (1-1) at 1:20 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 104.3 The Score
Cubs vs Nationals – Key Injuries:
Chicago Cubs:
Seiya Suzuki, OF Jordan Wicks, SP Porter Hodge, RP Justin Steele, SP (60-Day IL) Shelby Miller, RP (60-Day IL) Tyler Austin, IF/OF (60-Day IL)Washington Nationals:
Paxton Schultz, RP DJ Herz, SP Trevor Williams, SP Josiah Gray, SPCubs vs Nationals – Wrigley Field Weather Report
Location: Chicago, ILTemperature: 58 degreesWind: Blowing out to left, moderate with strong gusts
Today vs Nationals: 58° ⛅️ Wind blowing out to LF / CF at 12mph? Gusts up to 20mph #Cubs #Weather
— Wrigley Winds (@WrigleyWinds) March 29, 2026Hence then, the article about chicago cubs lineup michael conforto gets his first start was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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