Cubs vs Giants Lineup (6/6): Ben Brown Starts, Dansby Swanson's Day Off and More

With Ben Brown on the mound, the Cubs will look to bounce back from Friday's 18-3 loss.

May 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown (32) pumps his arm after the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

A bounce-back win is sorely needed for the Chicago Cubs, who suffered their worst defeat of the season in an 18-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants in Friday's series opener.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (33-31) vs. San Francisco Giants (26-38)

Where: Wrigley Field

When: 1:20 PM CT

Watch: Marquee Sports Network

Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF

2. Michael Conforto, DH

3. Michael Busch, 1B

4. Alex Bregman, 3B

5. Ian Happ, LF

6. Seiya Suzuki, RF

7. Nico Hoerner, SS

8. Pedro Ramirez, 2B

9. Carson Kelly, C

The Cubs are going-lefty heavy for the matchup against Giants right-hander Landen Roupp. Aside from an all-lefty 1-2-3, Ian Happ and Pedro Ramirez are switch hitters and will dig in from the left side as well.

Notably absent is Dansby Swanson, who had the game-tying single in Thursday's win over the A's but went hit-less on Friday. Swanson is suffering through one of the worst offensive slumps in his career this season, slashing .180/.285/.322 (.607 OPS). His batting average ranks third-worst in MLB among qualified hitters.

Swanson went hit-less in 14 games in May and is slashing just .146/.221/.214 (.435 OPS) over his last 30 games.

On the other hand, leadoff man Pete Crow-Armstrong is the Cubs' hottest hitter and is slashing .320/.417/.560 (.977 OPS) in his last 13 games. Right on par with him is Ian Happ, who has a 1.075 OPS with four home runs and a .318 average over his last 11.

Giants Lineup

1. Casey Schmitt, LF

2. Rafael Devers, 1B

3. Luis Arraez, 2B

4. Willy Adames, SS

5. Jung Hoo Lee, RF

6. Bryce Eldridge, DH

7. Matt Chapman, 3B

8. Eric Haase, C

9. Drew Gilbert, CF

The 26-38 Giants have wildly underperformed this season considering the amount of talent they have in the lineup. Still, they showed that in their 19-hit, 18-run explosion on Friday. Matt Chapman (8 RBI), Willy Adames (4 RBI) and Casey Schmitt (3 RBI) each had multi-homer games in San Francisco's seven-home run day.

On The Mound ...

Mar 31, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown (32) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Cubs - Ben Brown, RHP

No other pitcher on the North Side is enjoying a season quite like Ben Brown, who is tasked with stopping the bleeding for a Cubs team that is 4-15 in its last 19 games.

Brown is 2-2 with a 1.92 ERA across 17 starts at 51.2 innings pitched this season and is making a strong case to be the Cubs' sole All-Star in the Midsummer Classic. He's been even better over his last seven games, posting a 1.86 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP in 29 innings.

Brown threw seven innings of three-hit, one-run ball in his last start in St. Louis for his longest outing of the season. The Cubs will need that length from him after San Francisco depleted the bullpen on Friday.

Giants - Landen Roupp, RHP

Jun 1, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp (65) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Cubs hitters have an opportunity to jump on Giants righty Landen Roupp, who in his last seven starts is just 1-5 with a 5.70 ERA. Roupp has a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts overall this season. The 27-year-old does have a 1.31 WHIP, so expect walks to be a problem for him against a Cubs team that is third in the majors with an 11.0% walk rate.