Cubs vs Cardinals Lineup: Conforto in LF? Hoerner on a Roll, Ramirez In or Out? More

Nico Hoerner & Alex Bregman each had 4-hit games in Monday's big 7-3 win.

Jul 26, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) takes ground balls before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming off a fun 7-3 win on Monday night, the Chicago Cubs are hunting their third series win of the second half on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs are catching some of their NL Central foes at the right time, taking two of three from the up-and-down Pirates. They are now in position to win another crucial series vs the Cardinals, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games.

The Cardinals still hold a 4-3 series lead over the Cubs on the year, so a sweep would be huge considering the Cubs face the Cardinals one more time this season. Tonight, it will be Colin Rea facing the Cardinals' talented young righty Michael McGreevy. Look for the longball to come into play in this one.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (60-46) at St. Louis Cardinals (53-53)
Where: Busch Stadium
When: 6:45 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

Craig Counsell is going with a slightly different lineup tonight, giving Dansby Swanson a day off and sliding Ian Happ into the DH role. Nico Hoerner starts at SS and is fresh off a 4-hit game last night, driving in 4 RBI.

Pedro Ramirez remains in the lineup at 2B and is riding a seven-game hitting streak with a 1.081 OPS during that span. He's been tough to leave out of the lineup lately. As for Michael Conforto, he's playing in LF with Happ at DH. It will also be the former Cardinals farmhand, Carson Kelly, in at catcher.

The top of the lineup has a lot of production against McGreevy, specifically Happ, Michael Busch, and Seiya Suzuki, who all have OPS above 1.000 against the right-hander. To be sure, it's a small sample size, but McGreevy does have 15 home runs allowed on the year.

St. Louis Cardinals Lineup

1. J.J. Wetherholt, 2B
2. Jordan Walker, RF
3. Alec Burleson, 1B
4. Ivan Herrera, DH
5. Lars Nootbaar, LF
6. Masyn Winn, SS
7. Nathan Church, CF
8. Freddy Fermin, 3B
9. Jimmy Crooks, C

All-Star Jordan Walker has a .861 OPS in the month of July and remains the Cardinals' most dangerous hitter. However, catcher Jimmy Crooks has posted an impressive .833 OPS this month. Now, it's come in only 30 plate appearances, and his 36.7 K rate shows he's likely getting lucky, but Colin Rea has struggled with suppressing loud contact as of late.

On The Mound...

Chicago Cubs - RHP Colin Rea

Jul 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Colin Rea (53) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colin Rea hit a slight speed bump in his last start against the Tigers, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and two home runs. This brought his total long balls up to 17 on the year. Rea has now allowed a home run in five of his last seven starts. The good news, though, is that he can typically navigate around an early solo homer if the Cubs supply enough run support.

The Cubs' bats are cooking right now, with Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner each coming off 4-hit nights. Hopefully, they can keep it up while Rea's line looks better than in his last go. Still, a 4.85 ERA is very serviceable for a fifth starter.

St. Louis Cardinals - RHP Michael McGreevy

Jul 23, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Michael McGreevy took the loss in his last outing vs the Diamondbacks, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and giving up his 15th home run of the year. On the season, McGreevy has a 3.07 ERA and mixes his pitches very similarly to Colin Rea – leans fastball but uses his sinker against RHH and change-up vs LHH.

McGreevy has gone at least 6 innings or more in six of his last seven starts. Nevertheless, the Cardinals used only two pitchers yesterday, so everyone should be available should the bullpen be needed early.

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