After yet another day of offensive futility at Wrigley Field — complete with their patented ability to get a lot of guys on base and unique inability to drive literally any of them … in no matter the situation or who’s up (0-9 with RISP today + 11 runners left on base) — lineup changes are coming for the Chicago Cubs.
Halleluja.
Cubs Manager Craig Counsell said as much in his postgame press conference today at Wrigley Field:
“I think we have to do something different” said Craig Counsell via Bruce Levine, “It feels like some at bats and confidence is shaken. Maybe a different look in the lineup, or a day off is needed. I think we are at point absolutely.”
I don’t think I have to say this here in 2026, as we’ve all been told this a thousand times by the baseball nerds (myself included), but it probably still bears repeating: Strictly (or statistically) speaking, changing the lineup is unlikely to solve the Cubs’ issues all at once. For the most part, it’s going to be the same guys, with the same weaknesses, against the same pitchers. Just in a different order.
We simply have enough data these days to know that a lineup shakeup doesn’t usually result in instant relief.
But we also know that these are real people, not just numbers on a spreadsheet. And sometimes, a little shakeup can change a player’s mentality and, who knows, maybe that changes things.
Or, maybe things would’ve changed anyway, but like “Michael’s Secret Stuff” in Space Jam, the placebo effect takes hold and makes a difference. Either way, what else are you going to do … nothing?
But notice Counsell didn’t only talk about a lineup change, he also mentioned the possibility of one or multiple days off. And I think Ian Happ is probably the most obvious first candidate for that treatment.
Since April 24 (his last 112 PAs, including today), Happ has struck out an absurd 42(!) times, which is the most in MLB.
But he’s hardly the only offender. In fact, despite all those K’s, he’s the only qualified hitter on the team (besides Michael Busch) with an above-average stat line by wRC+ this month.
Even still, he feels like he’s well overdue for a respite.
But what will the lineup look like when he comes back? I’m not sure, but it’s both possible and potentially wise (albeit even more disappointing) that Nico Hoerner needs to stop leading off for a little while. At least against righties. He’s been ice cold, too.
But again, it’s not like you can point to too many other obvious choices. Maybe Michael Busch makes sense up top, but then the one guy who IS hitting might not get as many chances with runners on.
Likewise, you might want to see Moises Ballesteros in there more often, but the one guy he’d be tapping out, Michael Conforto, is the only other guy who’s having at least some success of late. Oh, and also Ballesteros is another guy who’s been scuffling.
Tomorrow, I suspect we’ll see the recently called-up top prospect, Pedro Ramirez, in there somewhere, but probably only for a day. He’s not going to be a permanent starter right now, if I had to guess.
Matt Shaw, naturally, picked a terrible time to have a back injury.
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