Cubs vs. Padres Lineup: Needing More From Bregman, Who's in for Shaw? More

The Chicago Cubs will return home after winning six of seven on the road.

There is no question that we could look back at this recent trip as the stretch that turned the season around. For that to happen, though, they have to keep the offensive momentum going against a frisky Padres squad. Steal this series, and they will be looking very good heading into a huge three-game set with the Cards over this holiday weekend.

Game Info

Who: San Diego Padres (43-39) at Chicago Cubs (46-38)
Where: Wrigley Field
When: 7:08 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

Despite his painfully apparent struggles, Alex Bregman will remain in the two-hole for the Cubs as they begin another series. The veteran found himself in some hot water during Sunday's win after not running full speed to first base. It's something that is always hard to stomach, but it only becomes a great talking point when you're batting .204 over your last 15 outings.

Bregman has two hits in his last six games and has been particularly bad with runners in scoring position. It's undoubtedly been ugly enough to justify a move down the order, but Craig Counsell is sticking with a similar look for now.

Speaking of which, there is absolutely no change from the Cubs' lineup on Sunday. Seiya Suzuki stays in the clean-up spot after a bounce-back series, while Michael Conforto will start again in right field. Carson Kelly is also sitting for Miguel Amaya.

Expect to see plenty of Conforto moving forward, by the way. Matt Shaw was placed on the IL on Monday after having to be pulled from Sunday's game. He has sustained a wrist sprain and will have his roster spot taken by Kevin Alcantara for the time being.

While it's possible that Counsell turns to The Jaguar at some point soon, the manager has seemingly been hesitant in the past due to the youngster's high strikeout rate.

San Diego Padres Lineup

1. Fernando Tatis, Jr.
2. Samad Taylor, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Miguel Andujar, DH
5. Ty France, 1B
6. Jackson Merrill, CF
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Freddy Fermin, C
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

The Padres come to town after dropping two straight to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before that, however, they were in quite a groove and won six of eight. This included a series sweep of the Atlanta Braves.

In other words, as we've already come to learn in recent years, the Cubs can't take this veteran Padres group lightly.

On the Mound ...

Jun 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs – Shota Imanaga, RHP

After a pair of strong starts, Shota Imanaga was knocked around by the New York Mets in his last outing. The lefty gave up 4 runs on three homers in his 5.1 innings of work.

It's truly been an up-and-down year for the veteran. He continues to get batters to chase at an elite rate and hasn't put many runners on. With that said, hard contact remains the glaring issue for Imanaga, who has given up the third-most home runs in baseball.

With the wind blowing out at Wrigley during a very warm evening, there is a world where things get ugly again for Imanage. The only good news is that the Padres sit a modest 23rd in home runs this year, though they do have a solid hard-hit rate of 40.2 percent.

San Diego Padres – Griffin Canning, RHP

Griffin Canning has struggled over his ten games this season. The righty has a 7.38 ERA with a walk rate that sits at 13.2 percent. Opposing teams have also consistently been able to hit him for power, as both his barrel rate and hard hit rate sit in the 14th percentile or above.

Canning has a very deep arsenal and spreads things out pretty evenly between his slider, fastball, and change-up. Righties will also consistently see his sinker. The whole goal is to force a ton of ground balls, so the Cubs will have to be patient and focus on elevating balls in the zone.

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