Cubs vs – With Chicago trying to salvage its three-game set against Oakland and avoid a sweep at Wrigley Field, the Cubs roll out a lefty-heavy lineup while Shota Imanaga faces the Athletics’ J.T. Ginn. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been trending up, and Pedro Ramirez and Moi
By 7:05 PM CT at Wrigley Field, the Cubs aren’t just chasing a win over the Athletics — they’re chasing the feeling of control back in Wrigleyville.
They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games. and after two “pathetic” games in this three-game set. the danger is simple: a sweep at home. The Cubs enter the matchup at 32-30. The Athletics are 30-31. and the stakes feel even sharper because Chicago has to shake off the sense that a team like Oakland “has no business” beating this Cubs squad in a season series.
The lineup reflects that urgency. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been emerging with .921 OPS in his last 10 games, including 2 home runs and 12 total hits. With the Cubs going through a rough run, that kind of turnaround is exactly what they can build around when the season’s momentum starts slipping.
Here’s how Chicago sets the table for the night — and why left-handed matchups matter.
Chicago Cubs (32-30) lineup
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Michael Conforto, RF
3. Michael Busch, 1B
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Ian Happ, LF
6. Nico Hoerner, 2B
7. Moises Ballesteros, C
8. Pedro Ramirez, DH
9. Dansby Swanson, SS
Pedro Ramirez is back in the lineup tonight and gets his second start in a row. moving from 2B to DH. Wednesday’s work mattered even if it didn’t show up in the stat line: Ramirez had 4 plate appearances for the first time since May 24th. going 0-4 without strikeouts. Michael Conforto gets the start as well, but he’s coming in shaky — batting .095 in his last 10 games. Nico Hoerner is paired in the infield mix, with Moises Ballesteros catching.
The Athletics, meanwhile, line up for what they did yesterday and what they expect to do again.
Athletics lineup (30-31)
1. Henry Bolte, CF
2. Nick Kurtz, 1B
3. Shane Langeliers, DH
4. Colby Thomas, CF
5. Tyler Soderstrom, LF
6. Jonah Heim, C
7. Zack Gelof, 3B
8. Jeff McNeil, 2B
9. Alika Williams, SS
Nick Kurtz — the reigning AL Player of the Month — delivered the game-winning hit yesterday and will bat second tonight. Langeliers starts at DH to face the lefty Shota Imanaga. Colby Thomas is in the outfield as well, starting in RF in place of Lawrence Butler. Henry Bolte leads off and plays CF.
On the mound, the matchup is built around two pitchers who can swing the at-bat just enough to change a whole night.
Cubs: Shota Imanaga, LHP
In his last start vs. St. Louis, Imanaga allowed three home runs, bringing his season total to 13. The bigger concern is how hitters are turning his fastball into damage — teams are crushing it with a .531 slugging percentage against it.
The question for Chicago is location. Looking at his Pitcher Report on Baseball Savant. Imanaga’s pitches that were landing in the strike zone were “essentially middle-cut.” Even with his “newfound velocity. ” the problem is that he can’t live there. The logic runs straight through every pitch selection: if he can’t land his fastball. he can’t set up his splitter or sweeper. and hitters force him into counts where he’s constantly throwing his fastball behind.
So the night becomes about whether Imanaga can out-think hitters—instead of being trapped into giving them something they can square up.
Athletics: J.T. Ginn, LHP
J.T. Ginn is 27 years old, with a 2.87 ERA on the season and a 2.37 ERA in his last 7 starts. Over that stretch, he’s allowed 2 runs or less in 6 of those 7 starts.
He did have a rougher outing recently at San Diego. lasting just 2.1 innings and walking 6 Padres on 73 pitches. but he was charged with only 2 earned runs. Ginn’s sinker is his primary pitch — he throws it just over 36% of the time — and he mixes in his slider and cutter that play off the sinker. along with a change-up and four-seam fastball.
He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters with a 7.84 K/9. but he showed a different gear at times. including a 10K performance vs the Angels back on April 18th. The sinker also creates awkward swings and weak contact. which is exactly what makes Ginn a tough puzzle for an offense trying to get consistent contact now.
The night’s shape is already clear from the lineup choices and the matchup: Chicago is leaning on lefty-heavy timing and recently improved production from Pete Crow-Armstrong, while the Athletics counter with the kind of steadiness that comes from J.T. Ginn’s run-prevention profile.
What happens next is what the standings don’t show yet — whether the Cubs can pull a game out of the series and stop the momentum from turning into a home sweep, or whether the Athletics keep stacking the kind of pressure that forces Wrigley Field to hold its breath again.
Cubs vs Athletics Wrigley Field Shota Imanaga J.T. Ginn Pete Crow-Armstrong Nick Kurtz lineup