Cubs vs. Red Sox Lineup: Game 162, Shota Imanaga's Farewell? Just Stay Healthy, More

The Chicago Cubs are going with a surprisingly normal lineup as they face the Boston Red Sox in Game 162.

Sep 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) warms up on the mound prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Due to another San Diego Padres win on Saturday night, the Chicago Cubs will head into this afternoon with essentially nothing to play for. They are now locked out of the top Wild Card slot, meaning a series at Petco Park awaits this week. With that in mind, the goal for today is simple: Walk off the field healthy.

Today's Game 162 will also, oddly, be held in Florida. With storms smashing the Boston area this weekend, the two teams relocated to the home of the Tampa Bay Rays to squeeze in the (now rather meaningless) game.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (88-73) at Boston Red Sox (87-74)
Where: Tropicana Field (Yes, you read that right)
When: 2:05 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Projected Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

In somewhat surprising fashion, the Chicago Cubs will go with their typical lineup against a right-handed arm. There will be no major rest days, with Alex Bregman even appearing in his second game since the scary foul ball incident.

All things considered, it will be interesting to see if Craig Counsell decides to make some substitutions as the game goes on. There is undoubtedly some value in keeping everyone in a rhythm, but you don't want to do that at the cost of a fluke injury. The Cubs have seen plenty of that lately!

Projected Boston Red Sox Lineup

1. Roman Anthony, LF
2.Adley Rutschman, C
3. Wilson Contreras, DH
4. Wilyer Abreu, RF
5. Ceddane Rafaela, CF
6. Nick Sogard, 2B
7. Caleb Durbin, 3B
8. Trevor Story, SS
9. Andruw Monasterio, 1B

On the Mound ...

Sep 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cubs – Shota Imanaga, LHP

After the Chicago Cubs' big trade deadline moves, it became increasingly clear that Shota Imanaga could be the odd man out of the playoff rotation. To be sure, he has pitched well in recent weeks and has a 3.74 ERA on the season. But his ability to easily give up the long ball is hard to look past, especially with so many good ground ball guys on this Cubs roster.

Nevertheless, Imanaga could be the perfect guy to have on the mound this afternoon. The Cubs' goal will be to burn through as few arms as possible. By going with a traditional starter, Craig Counsell can give Imanaga a pretty long leash and see if he can eat somewhere around 7.0 innings of action.

Red Sox – Tanner Houck, RHP

The Boston Red Sox are going with a completely fresh arm. Righty Tanner Houck has been on the IL all season long after getting Tommy John surgery, only to be activated right before this game. He will now make his first start since May 12, 2025.

Houck is a ground ball guy who leans heavily on his sinker and sweeper. He only pitched nine games last season before going down with an injury. In 2024, however, he threw an impressive 3.12 ERA over 178.2 innings of work.

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