Cubs vs Orioles Lineup: Can the Cubs Offense Heat Back Up? Boyd On the Mound, More

The Chicago Cubs managed to salvage a win in their series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, coming through with 4 runs in the sixth inning to take the lead and hold it for a 6-4 win.

Tonight, the Cubs start a six-game road trip before the All-Star break, starting with three games against the Baltimore Orioles, who sit 11.5 games back from first place.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (50-40) at Baltimore Orioles (42-49)
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
When: 5:35 p.m. CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score, Univision TUDN, WPPN 106.7 / TUDN

Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

The Cubs' offense was on fire last week, thanks in large part to Dansby Swanson and his five home runs in two games. But the offense went cold this weekend, scoring just one run in the first two games vs St. Louis before scoring 6 runs in their win this past Sunday.

Seiya Suzuki will get another start in RF, and Michael Conforto will get a start at DH against a lefty in Shane Baz.

Baltimore Orioles Lineup

1. Taylor Ward, LF
2. Adley Rutschman, C
3. Gunnar Henderson
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Coby Mayo, 3B
6. Samuel Basallo, DH
7. Blaze Alexander, RF
8. Dylan Beavers, CF
9. Jackson Holliday, 2B

Pete Alonso and his 19 home runs will be a concern for the Cubs arms, but Alonso has hit 11 of his 19 home runs since May 11th (when he returned to New York) and has a .861 OPS in 50 games since bumping his OPS to .810 on the year.

I've always thought of Alonso as a Cub-killer. He may only be batting .215 against them in his career, but he's gone deep 15 times in 40 games.

On the Mound ...

Cubs – Matthew Boyd, LHP

Jun 30, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) makes a play on San Diego Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Matthew Boyd will make his third start since returning to the Cubs rotation, coming off a win over the Padres after five innings of work, allowing only 3 runs on eight hits. He did get tagged for two home runs in that outing, but it was a slugfest that night at Wrigley Field with a collective 9 home runs hit by both teams.

Boyd's 5.08 ERA on the year isn't great, and teams are crushing his fastball (.479 slug) and changeup (.526). But his stuff has been good in moments during these starts. Plus, when he can set up his slider or curveball well, he's missing bats and throwing strikes, although those strikes are getting crushed at times with a 51.5 hard hit rate.

Matthew Boyd is never going to be a power pitcher with a fastball sitting around 92 mph, but he is a crafty pitcher who can generate swing and miss at times. And only the Reds and Angels strike out more than the Orioles (24.2%).

Orioles – Shane Baz, RHP

Jun 29, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Shane Baz (34) pitches in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 27-year-old Baz is coming off a seven-inning no-decision vs the White Sox, throwing 109 pitches and allowing only 2 earned runs. He currently has a 4.19 ERA and a 7.75 K/9 in 17 starts in Baltimore, but Baz has a 3.30 ERA in his last five starts.

Baz is essentially a fastball/knuckleball pitcher, mixing in a cutter to right-handed batters and a changeup to left-handed batters, using his 96 mph heater to make the rest of his pitches more effective. Baz will be attacking Cubs hitters early with the fastball and try to get them to hit his off-speed later in the count.

One player to circle in the Cubs lineup is Alex Bregman, who has a 2.143 OPS in 9 plate appearances vs Baz, including two doubles and a home run.

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