Cubs vs. Cardinals Lineup: No Nico Hoerner? Alex Bregman's Resurgence, More

Thanks to back-to-back dominant outings from the Chicago Cubs offense, they will have a chance to lock in the series win on Wednesday night.

A win over the Cardinals would bump them to 62 on the year, as well as push them to a season-high 16 games over .500. Add a high-end starter at this year's deadline, and Cubs Confidence is going to be sky-high in Wrigleyville!

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (61-46) at St. Louis Cardinals (53-54)
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, LF
6. Michael Conforto, DH
7. Pedro Ramirez, 2B
8. Dansby Swanson, SS
9. Miguel Amaya, C

The Chicago Cubs gave Dansby Swanson the day off on Tuesday, and they will continue to find rest for their infield by sitting Nico Hoerner this evening. Recently on a tear, Hoerner's slot will be filled by Pedro Ramírez. It will be the second consecutive start for the rookie and his fifth in the last six games.

Ramírez has clearly started to earn Counsell's trust, and for good reason. The switch-hitter is batting .444 in his last seven outings. His OPS since coming to the majors sits at .833, as his approach has come off wise above his years. These last three games, in particular, have made it impossible to take Ramírez out of the lineup. He has a combined seven hits, which includes a three-hit day in Game 2 of the series.

The big question now is whether the Cubs hope to ride the Ramírez wave or use this as further trade leverage. If one thing has been made clear this week, it's that no Cubs youngster is safe from a possible deal.

In other lineup news, Ian Happ will move back to left field and open up the DH spot for Michael Conforto. Miguel Amaya will also step back behind the plate for Carson Kelly.

The main player to watch tonight might as well be Alex Bregman. He is now hitting .323 over his last seven games and just followed up his four-hit showing in the series opener with a three-hit day. He has been seeing the ball a lot better as of late, and the potential turnaround couldn't be coming at a more important time.

St. Louis Cardinals Lineup

1. J.J. Wetherholt, 2B
2. Jordan Walker, RF
3. Ivan Herrera, DH
4. Alec Burleson, 1B
5. Masyn Winn, SS
6. Jose Fermin, 3B
7. Blaze Jordan, 3B
8. Nathan Church, CF
9. Pedro Pagés, C

On the Mound ...

Jul 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cubs – Matthew Boyd, LHP

Matthew Boyd has looked like his 2025 All-Star self over the last couple of weeks. In his previous outing against the Pirates, Boyd gave up only a single run in 7.0 innings of work. The game before that? He only allowed three hits and a solo run in 6.0 innings. He can still put a decent number of guys on base, but he's done a great job of not letting that rattle him.

Overall, in his last four starts, Boyd holds a 2.13 ERA and has gone at least 6.0 innings in each performance. The Cubs have BADLY needed this version of him.

Cardinals – Dustin May, RHP

Dustin May holds a 4.59 ERA this season over his 20 appearances. The 28-year-old mixes up his pitches quite a bit and throws incredibly hard. His fastball touches nearly 97 mph, while his cutter sits at around 93 mph. May's best pitch, however, is easily his sinker. You'll see him turn to this most against righties, but he draws a 32.6 percent whiff rate on this pitch overall.

With that said, Dustin May has really struggled recently to go deep into games. If the Cubs can be as aggressive as they were to start the evening last night, there is a world where they force the Cardinals deep into their bullpen yet again.

Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.

Add us as a preferred source on Google