CUBS LINEUP — After winning a series against the White Sox at home, the Cubs now travel all the way to Seattle for a three-game set, which will be followed by a series in Arizona before heading home to Chicago. West Coast trips are never fun because of the late start times, but this is a brief stretch of games, so that makes it bearable.
The Mariners have been a pretty big disappointment this season, as shown by their 60-68 record. Their starting pitching hasn’t lived up to expectations, and star catcher Cal Raleigh has just a 71 wRC+. They just lost 22-0 to the Brewers on Wednesday, but were able to avoid the sweep in Milwaukee, which is a silver lining.
Anyways, let’s get into tonight’s matchup:
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF Seiya Suzuki, RF Michael Busch, 1B Alex Bregman, 3B Ian Happ, LF Nico Hoerner, SS Pedro Ramírez, 2B Michael Conforto, DH Carson Kelly, CPete Crow-Armstrong is back in center field after a game at DH on Wednesday. As the playoffs get closer, I’d expect PCA to DH more to make sure he’s physically ready for a deep October run, especially with Tyrone Taylor being a suitable replacement in center field.
Today’s lineup is overall pretty standard, although Michael Busch is hitting third unlike the last few games. Busch has been struggling at the plate lately, with a .558 OPS over his last seven games. However, he’s 2/3 with a home run and a walk against Hancock in his career, so he’s seen him well in that small sample size.
Seattle Mariners Lineup:
Brendan Donovan, 3B Randy Arozarena, LF Dominic Canzone, RF Julio Rodriguez, CF Josh Naylor, 1B Taylor Ward, DF Cal Raleigh, C Cole Young, 2B Brock Rodden, SSPitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Matthew Boyd, LHP
Matthew Boyd is coming off one of his worst outings of the season that saw him allow seven earned runs in 5.1 innings. This was, of course, the Joshua Báez game last Saturday when the rookie took Boyd deep in each of his first three plate appearances. Boyd allowed four home runs that game, with the fourth being a solo shot to Blaze Jordan.
It’s been an interesting season for Boyd, who has a 4.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. The southpaw has had two separate trips on the Injured List, having only thrown 85 innings thus far in 2026. In the nine starts leading up to that outing against the Cardinals, Boyd posted a 2.43 ERA across 55.2 innings. He’s definitely turned a corner after a rough start to the year. Boyd is someone who will be in the playoff rotation as of now, and should bounce back against what has been a relatively weak Mariners lineup.
The Mariners haven’t hit very well this year, but they’ve especially struggled against left-handed pitching, with a .640 OPS and just 41 home runs. This should bode well for the Cubs, who also have David Peterson and Shota Imanaga slated to start the next two games.
Seattle Mariners: Emerson Hancock, RHP
This will be a fun matchup, as the Cubs were rumored to have shown interest in Hancock at this season’s trade deadline. In 23 starts this season, Hancock has a 3.30 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. He’s gotten somewhat lucky this year, with a 3.97 xERA and 3.72 FIP. So far this month, Hancock has a 3.57 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP, so he hasn’t been dominant by any means. However, as is the case with most pitchers, he pitches better in Seattle than on the road, so it’ll be a tough battle nonetheless.
One of Hancock’s best qualities is his ability to command the strike zone. His strikeout rate of 23.1% isn’t necessarily impressive, but his BB% of 6.2 is in the 85th percentile. His four-seam fastball averages 95.4 mph, so he won’t blow you away with velocity. Hancock’s arm angle is 11 degrees, which is the third lowest in baseball for a right-handed pitcher, with only Tyler Rogers (-61 degrees) and Grant Anderson (7 degrees) using a lower slot from the right side.
Broadcast Info:
First Pitch: 9:10 pm CT How to Watch Today’s Cubs Game: MARQ How to Listen to Today’s Cubs Game: 104.3 The Score Matchup: Chicago Cubs (74-54) vs. Seattle Mariners (60-68)Cubs vs. Mariners – Key Injuries:
INJURY REPORT Cubs at Mariners · entering Friday, Aug 21 CHICAGO CUBS Matt ShawSprained hand (left) · 10-Day ILINF/OF Dansby SwansonStrained oblique · 10-Day ILSS Hoby MilnerAppendectomy · 15-Day ILRP Gavin HollowellShoulder inflammation · 15-Day ILRP Edward CabreraBlister (right middle finger) · 15-Day ILSP 60-DAY IL Justin SteeleElbow surgery (UCL revision repair)SP Shelby MillerTommy John surgeryRP Tyler AustinKnee surgery (patella debridement)1B/OF Hunter HarveyTriceps inflammationRP Cade HortonTommy John surgerySP Porter HodgeTommy John surgeryRP Riley MartinStrained elbow (flexor)RP Ben BrownStress reaction in neckSP Phil MatonKnee discomfort (partially torn patellar tendon)RP SEATTLE MARINERS J.P. CrawfordWrist inflammation (left) · 10-Day ILINF Colt EmersonWrist inflammation (left) · 10-Day ILSS Matt BrashStrained lat · 15-Day ILRP Cole WilcoxStrained oblique · 15-Day ILRP 60-DAY IL Logan EvansTommy John surgerySP Carlos VargasStrained latRP Will WilsonFractured thumb (left)INF Cooper CriswellStrained shoulderRP Luke RaleyFlexor tendon surgery (left)OF IL status entering the series opener · Aug 21, 2026Cubs vs. Mariners – T-Mobile Park Weather Report
Location: Seattle, WATemperature: T-Mobile Park has a roof, so the weather won’t be a concern this series!
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