CUBS LINEUP — This evening in Tampa, the Cubs have a chance to win their second series of the season and move back up to .500 in the process. That would feel especially nice with an off-day tomorrow and Seiya Suzuki returning on Friday to re-join the Cubs in Chicago for their series against the Pirates.
Unfortunately, they’ll have to roll with their second fill-in starter of the young season, Colin Rea, who’s taking over at least temporarily for the spot vacated by Cade Horton (Javier Assad covered for Matthew Boyd successfully last night). Don’t get me wrong, Rea has been good for the Cubs throughout his time here. But he’s not Cade Horton. Very few people are!
Anyway, here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for the finale in Tampa.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
Nico Hoerner, 2B Michael Busch, 1B Alex Bregman, 3B Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF Carson Kelly, C Moises Ballesteros, DH Dansby Swanson, SS Michael Conforto, LF Matt Shaw, RFI have more notes below on today’s Rays’ starter, Joe Boyle. But I did want to call his lefty/righty splits to attention up here. Although the sample isn’t huge (558 batters faced in his career), Boyle has pretty significant lefty/righty splits:
vLHH: .240/.361/.376 (.330 wOBA) vRHH: .184/.293/.294 (.269 wOBA)Lefties are also striking out a lot less and walking a LOT more against Boyle than righties are. And, as you can imagine, they’re making more hard contact, too.
… Which is why the second-straight day off for Ian Happ, who can bat from the left side, is both mysterious and bothersome.
Happ was out of yesterday’s Cubs lineup, too, which I assumed was just a rest day. But back-to-back days before an off-day should obviously raise some alarm. He did dive on the turf for a catch in Game 1 on Monday. Maybe that didn’t feel too good?
Catch of the Day- By the Numbers (4/6)Ian Happ 15% catch probability on this ball. Happ makes the good read, takes the direct route, and finishes with a nice diving grab. 47 feet covered in 3.3 seconds of opportunity time. pic.twitter.com/DVIv1N6CkB
— The WARmonger (@TheWARmonger_) April 7, 2026I’m guessing we’ll know soon, once the beats can talk to Craig Counsell.
In the meantime, Michael Conforto (reached base 4x yesterday) is back out in left field, which keeps right open for Matt Shaw.
Without Happ, however, we still can’t quite determine if this new-look lineup with Nico Hoerner leading off, even against a righty, is here to stay … or simply out of necessity. I like the way it works with Hoerner batting first, but you just can’t read Counsell’s mind with both Happ and Suzuki out.
In any case, this version of the Cubs lineup broke out a bit yesterday. Let’s see if they can keep it rolling today. Michael Busch was especially close to a trio of homers. Maybe it’s his turn to break out.
Tampa Bay Rays Lineup:
Yandy Diaz, DH Jonathan Aranda, 1B Jake Fraley, RF Junior Caminero, 3B Chandler Simpson, LF Ben Williamson, 2B Hunter Feduccia, C Johnny DeLuca, CF Taylor Walls, SSPitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Colin Rea, RHP
As I mentioned, Colin Rea has been thrust into the rotation in April following the loss of the Cubs best starting pitcher … for the second straight season. He did an admirable job covering for Justin Steele last year, but it would be nice if he didn’t have to keep stepping into the starting five. I’d love to see what he could do as a multi-inning guy out of the ‘pen all year!
In any case, Rea has had a nice start to the 2026 season, with 6.1 innings spread over two outings. In the first game, he allowed two earned runs to score, but walked none and struck out four. And in the second game, he was even better, going 3.1 IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K.
Altogether, it’s kinda like he’s posted one quality start: 6.1 IP, 3ER, 8H, 1BB, 8K. And you’d obviously take that.
Note: Jake Fraley has had some success against Rea throughout his career, going 6-13 with two homers and three walks. Small sample, but sure seems like he sees him well.
Tampa Bay Rays: Joe Boyle, RHP
Joe Boyle, 26, is a former Reds fifth-round pick who made his way to the A’s and then eventually to the Rays last season.
In 2025, he made nine starts (13 total appearances), pitching to rough results (4.67 ERA) but better peripherals (4.03 xERA, 4.19 FIP). And those better peripherals come thanks to a really nice strikeout rate, which he’s maintained throughout his limited time in The Show: 25.4 K%.
But what had been limiting him last season (a high walk rate) has not yet been a problem for Boyle this year (6.5%). Indeed, he’s posted two pretty solid starts to begin the year, with a scoreless six innings against the Cardinals on March 28 followed by 5.1 innings of 2-run ball with nine strikeouts against the Twins five days ago.
Boyle has a 96-97 MPH fastball, plus a splitter and a sinker. But his slider is what gets the most love:
Joe Boyle, Wicked 91mph Slider. ?6th K pic.twitter.com/ccxqGDFGbz
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 13, 2025Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs(5-6) vs Tampa Bay Rays (5-6) at 5:40 CT – Marquee Sports Network, 104.3 The Score
Cubs vs Rays – 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) Cade Horton, RHP Matthew Boyd, LHPTampa Bay Rays:
Gavin Lux, 2B Edwin Uceta, RP Ryan Pepiot, SP Garrett Cleavinger, RP Manuel Rodriguez, RP Steven Wilson, RPCubs vs Rays – Tropicana Field Weather Report
Location: Tropicana Field Temperature: Non-factor, domeWind: Non-factor, dome
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