Cubs vs. Reds Lineup: Can Suzuki Keep It Going? Prepare for Strikeouts? More

The Chicago Cubs will start their final series before the All-Star break, and it's an important one.

Battling a struggling NL Central foe, this is a prime opportunity for them to potentially build their lead for second place and eat into the Brewers' advantage. Milwaukee will have a slightly tougher three-game set ahead of them, as they end this first half in Pittsburgh against the Pirates' best arms.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (50-41) at Cincinnati Reds (42-50)
Where: Great American Ball Park
When: 6:10 PM 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. Carson Kelly, C
9. Dansby Swanson, SS

The Chicago Cubs are going with an identical order to their series finale in Baltimore. The only change will be moving Michael Conforto to DH, opening up a spot for Seiya Suzuki in right field. Some might be surprised by the move considering Suzuki left last night's game early, but the Cubs insisted that was only due to cramps and the slugger is good to go.

Suzuki has hit two long balls over the last two games, combining for a total of five RBIs. This came after a streak of four games where Suzuki failed to record a single hit. Let's hope he can stop the streaky play and come alive right before the All-Star break against a weak Reds pitching staff that has given up the sixth-most homers this season.

For what it's worth, this will be a homecoming of sorts for Ian Happ. While the outfielder was born in Pittsburgh, he played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati. One can only hope those vibes help him continue what he started yesterday. Happ had two hits in Baltimore, one of which came to keep things alive in the top of the ninth.

Cincinnati Reds Lineup

1. Elly De La Cruz, SS
2. Sal Stewart, 1B
3. Spencer Steer, CF
4. JJ Bleday, LF
5. Eugenio Suárez, DH
6. Tyler Stephenson, C
7. Noelvi Marter, RF
8. Edwin Arroyo, 2B
9. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B

The Reds have the second-lowest batting average in baseball and rank 24th in OPS overall. Nevertheless, this is a group that can draw its fair share of walks and can connect for some real power if you aren't careful. Potentially bad news for Shota Imanaga?

On the Mound ...

Jul 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers the ball during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cubs – Shota Imanaga, LHP

The last time Shota Imanaga faced the Reds, he had one of his best outings of the year. The lefty went 6.0 innings deep with 10 strikeouts and only one earned run allowed on a long ball. Now, he did walk three Reds batters, but you can live with that when you're getting so many swings and misses.

Imanaga would go on to hit a pretty big rough stretch, but he's come back around over the last handful of games. He's only allowed two earned runs in each of his previous two performances, and he also struck out eight against the Cardinals on July 4.

Reds – Hunter Greene, RHP

Following an offseason elbow surgery, Hunter Greene finally made his 2026 debut on July 4. And to say he looked rusty would be an understatement.

The righty lasted only 3.1 innings after giving up eight earned runs on seven hits. Yes, he managed to strike out seven, but he also walked four batters and simply couldn't limit the damage. All things considered, it makes this upcoming outing hard to predict.

Greene obviously has some fantastic stuff. While he may only lean on a three-pitch arsenal, that's about all he needs thanks to a fastball that averaged out at 99.5 mph last season. His trikeout rate in 2025 sat at 31.4 percent, and he managed that while also walking batters at just a 6.2 clip.

The Cubs are sure hoping that Greene needs at least one more game to get back into the swing of things.

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