Cubs at Orioles Lineup: Kelly Gets Rare DH Start, Peterson Has to Be Better, More

The Chicago Cubs are 18-6 in their last 24 games, and they're in perfect form to extend that winning record in Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Baltimore Orioles.

The game was originally slated for 5:35 p.m. CT, but the Orioles announced after Wednesday's game that the finale would be moved up to 12:35 p.m. CT due to forecasted inclement weather.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (52-40) at Baltimore Orioles (42-51)
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
When: 12:35 p.m. CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Alex Bregman, 3B
3. Seiya Suzuki, RF
4. Carson Kelly, DH
5. Michael Busch, 1B
6. Nico Hoerner, 2B
7. Ian Happ, LF
8. Dansby Swanson, SS
9. Miguel Amaya, C

The Cubs are running a mostly unchanged lineup for the finale. The main swap is Carson Kelly slotting in at DH in the cleanup spot. This will be just the second time this season that Kelly makes the start not in catchers' gear, the last time coming during the Cubs' 18-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on June 5.

Kelly hasn't hit from the DH spot much this season, so the sample size is small. However, the numbers are great: he's 3-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBI so far.

Baltimore Orioles Lineup

1. Adley Rutschman, DH
2. Taylor Ward, LF
3. Gunnar Henderson, SS
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Tyler O'Neill, RF
6. Coby Mayo, 3B
7. Samuel Basallo, C
8. Blaze Alexander, 2B
9. Leody Taveras, CF

The Orioles are having a down year, mainly because their star bats have struggled to produce. Gunnar Henderson, in particular, is producing numbers far below his career averages, hitting only .220 with an OPS of .690. Offseason acquisition Pete Alonso remains the most dangerous hitter in this Baltimore lineup – he has 20 home runs with an .809 OPS so far this season.

On The Mound...

Jul 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher David Peterson (19) throws the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago Cubs - David Peterson, LHP (4-7, 6.75 ERA)

If there's anyone desperately in need of a bounce-back outing, it's David Peterson.

Peterson was solid in his Cubs debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, but it was in his Wrigley Field debut against the St. Louis Cardinals last Friday when things really unraveled for him.

Peterson allowed 10 earned runs on nine hits in just 3.2 innings in the Cubs' 17-1 loss to St. Louis. It was by far his worst outing of the season with either the Cubs or New York Mets.

The good thing is that Peterson has shown what he can do against a strong lineup like Milwaukee, and he'll face a Baltimore lineup that struggles against left-handed pitching on Thursday. The Orioles are bottom-10 in the league in batting average (.230), slugging percentage (.369), on-base percentage (.307), and OPS (.675) against southpaws.

Baltimore Orioles - Trevor Rogers, LHP (6-7, 4.70 ERA)

The Cubs are the polar opposite of the Orioles in that they have been able to mash left-handed pitching this season. Their team OPS of .778 against lefties is second-best in the league, and their OBP of .352 leads MLB.

This time, they'll meet an in-form pitcher in Trevor Rogers, who, despite his season numbers, has been good over his last seven starts. The 28-year-old is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in those 40.2 innings. However, he's only managed 30 strikeouts, which could be a problem for him against a pesky Cubs team that will make contact and take their walks.

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