Cubs Lineup for Series Finale: Going for the Sweep, PCA at DH, Holmes Starts

The Chicago Cubs are feeling the magic after back-to-back walk-off wins against their hometown rival.

Aug 18, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman (3) celerates with shortstop Nico Hoerner (2) after hitting a walk-off RBI single against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Cubs walked off the White Sox once again Tuesday night, bleeding into Wednesday morning after a rain delay. The few that stayed for the wet conclusion of the Crosstown Classic were rewarded with an Alex Bregman walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth!

The Late Night Show, starring Alex Bregman. pic.twitter.com/YgHSWepOJb

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 19, 2026

It was Bregman who tied the game in the bottom of the 7th, as well, coming through with two outs with a single that scored Kevin Alcantara from second.

Today's finale should be drier than last night, as the Cubs look to sweep their south-side rivals this afternoon!

Game Info

Who: Chicago White Sox (65-60) vs. Chicago Cubs (74-53)
Where: Wrigley Field
When: 1:20 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score, TUDN, WPPN 106.7 / TUDN

Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

The Cubs will rest Pete Crow-Armstrong but keep his bat in the leadoff spot at DH. This means Tyrone Taylor will get the start in CF and bat 9th. Ian Happ moves down to the 8th spot and will play LF, with Jose Urquidy expected to take over for the opener Sean Newcomb. Craig Counsell decides to keep Happ in the lineup despite batting .158 facing a LHP this season.

The man of the hour is Alex Bregman, however, with his game-tying and eventual walk-off hit last night. The Cubs' big free-agent signing is finally playing like it. He's had his best month of the year in August, batting .313 with 5 home runs so far, and his OPS has climbed to .755 for the season!

Chicago White Sox Lineup

1. Sam Antonacci, LF
2. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
3. Miguel Vargas, 3B
4. Andrew Benintendi, DH
5. Braden Montgomery, RF
6. Colson Montgomery, SS
7. Chase Meidroth, 2B
8. Tristan Peters, CF
9. Jake Rogers, C

Only the Nationals, Yankees, and Astros have hit more home runs than the White Sox this year. This group can turn a game on its head quickly, but that means there's a lot of boom-or-bust in this group.

This isn't a lineup that walks much (11th) and does tend to strike out a lot (6th), but when they do get runners on, they're a real threat to wreck a game.

On the Mound ...

Aug 14, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Clay Holmes (25) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cubs – Clay Holmes, RHP

This will be Holmes' third start in a Cubs uniform. He's coming off an impressive Wrigley Field debut, when he threw 6.2 innings of shutout baseball vs the Cardinals and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Holmes threw 80 pitches in the win, bombarding the bottom portion of the zone with sinkers and occasional sweepers and changeups mixed in. He threw 50 strikes, but only 38 of those pitches were located in the zone, generating 11 ground balls and just one hit in the afternoon.

He'll look to do the same against a White Sox lineup that has pop and hitters like Munetaka Murakami, who loves to crush low fastballs. Holmes will need to locate his sinker well when facing the White Sox this afternoon. If he does that, he should be able to work another successful outing for the Cubs.

White Sox – Sean Newcomb, LHP

The former Cub and MLB journeyman will get his third start of the year in the opener role this afternoon, likely giving way for Jose Urquidy to be the bulk arm.

The 33-year-old Newcomb has great batting average splits against lefties (.235) and righties (.184) this year. In his 4.1 innings as a starter, he hasn't allowed a run or hit and has six strikeouts.

Urquidy in his lone Sox outing threw 3.2 innings, gave up 5 hits and 3 runs. On the season, he has just an 8.53 ERA in 6.1 innings with the Pirates before being acquired by the Sox this July.

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