Cubs Lineup (6/3): Why is Dansby Swanson Moving Up? Another Rookie Start, More

The Chicago Cubs are on the verge of dropping yet another series after the Athletics stole a 2-1 win at Wrigley Field on Tuesday evening. With matchups against the struggling Giants and Rockies looming, this is a big opportunity to get back on track in front of a home crowd and begin to create a cushion in the NL Central.

Game Info

Who: Athletics (29-31) at Cubs (32-29)
Where: Wrigley Field
When: 7:05 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

Facing off against a lefty for the second night in a row, Craig Counsell will shake things up. Both Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcantara will take a seat. In their place will be Miguel Amaya and Pedro Ramírez. This will mark only the third start for the rookie infielder, who walked away with three hits and an RBI in his prior two outings.

Speaking of which, Ramírez will get a chance to suit up at third base. Counsell has decided to give Bregman a defensive day off, putting him at DH for only the second time this year. Bregman will remain third in the lineup, however.

Dansby Swanson also gets a surprising bump up the order. This will be only his seventh game this season hitting sixth in the order, and it comes after another hit-less night. Swanson is now batting .181 on the season and was even pinch-hit for in last night's loss. But, hey, maybe just this small shake-up can unlock something in him? It's at least worth a shot!

Lastly, how much longer can Counsell go with some combo of Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ back-to-back? This has proven detrimental time and again, with the latest example being last night. The Cubs had two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, after Bregman struck out in four pitches, Suzuki flew out to shallow right field, before Happ hit another soft pop-up to center field.

Yuck!

Athletics Lineup

1. Carlos Cortes, RF
2. Nick Krutz, 1B
3. Shea Langeliers, C
4. Tyler Soderstrom, LF
5. Brent Rooker, DH
6. Lawerence Butler, CF
7. Zach Gelof, 3B
8. Jeff McNeil, 2B
9. Alika Williams, SS

The Athletics mustered only six hits in the series opener and struck out eight times. The Cubs have to find a way to steal one of these.

On the Mound ...

May 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Colin Rea (53) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cubs – Colin Rea, RHP

Colin Rea's last start was ... fine. He continues to be serviceable after being thrust into the rotation due to injury trouble. While he did walk three Pirates batters, he managed to strike out five and hold them to only two earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.

Expect to see him turn to his split finger a good amount this evening, as it's been a go-to pitch against lefties. The A's have five in the lineup tonight. Rea could also find some success against this young squad, as they are prone to chasing some pitches and do have the 8th-highest ground ball rate in baseball. Rea has given up some big hits in the air over his last few starts, but he's usually pretty good at keeping things inside the diamond.

Athletics – Jeffrey Springs, LHP

The 33-year-old starter is having a decent year. Jeffrey Spring currently has a 4.07 ERA with a walk rate that sits at just 7.2 percent. He doesn't make a ton of mistakes and is pretty good at getting batters to chase with his movement. At the same time, since he does attack the zone a lot, Springs will give you something to hit. The big question will be whether or not the Cubs can hit it hard enough!

Springs has given up five combined home runs in his last three starts, which included three against the Padres on May 22.

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