Cubs vs Rockies Lineup: A Bregman Breakout? Bad Matchup for Colin Rea? More

The Cubs' six-game road trip begins in Colorado as they look to take advantage of a Rockies team that has the worst record in baseball at 24-42 this season.

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (34-32) vs Colorado Rockies (24-42)
Where: Coors Field, Denver, CO
When: 7:40 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

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

The Cubs are 4-6 in their last 10 games but just 5-15 in their last 20 games, so while they've stopped the losing streak, they still haven't won a series since the first week of May. Since May 8th, the day after their sweep of the Reds, the Cubs are ranked 24th in fWAR (2.2), 29th in slugging (.333), and only the Padres have scored fewer runs (95) during that span.

We mentioned this a few weeks ago, but the Cubs are seeing a historic amount of breaking balls this season. One Reddit user (S/O SqueakyTuna52) went further to show just how terrible specifically Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, and Seiya Suzuki have been against breaking balls this season. But focusing on Bregman, the $175 mil third baseman has been a disappointment so far, having the worst season of his career with a .669 OPS worth 1.0 fWAR.

A large part of those struggles is linked to Bregman seeing nearly 10% more breaking balls (39.8% this year) than he did last season, as the team is taking advantage of his .147 batting average on breaking balls in the "heart of the zone". Bregman remained a patient hitter, and it's allowed him to walk at a solid clip (9.8%). However, his passive approach is leading to more breaking balls early in counts for strikes.

Bregman has one extra-base hit with runners in scoring position this year, and his batting .173 in those situations. He needs to start hitting more breaking balls, or else he'll only see those pitches in key moments.

Also, the Cubs made some roster moves today, reinstating Matt Shaw from the IL and optioning Kevin Alcantara back to Triple-A Iowa. And as Jameson Taillon was placed on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain, Ethan Roberts has been recalled to take his place on the roster. Trent Thronton was also placed on the paternity list before today's game, so Tyler Ferguson was recalled.

Colorado Rockies Lineup

1. Jake McCarthy, LF
2. Willi Castro, 2B
3. TJ Rumfield
4. Hunter Goodman, C
5. Troy Johnston, RF
6. Ezequiel Tovar, SS
7. Cole Carrigg, CF
8. Kyle Karros, 3B
9. Edouard Julien, DH

The Rockies have been on the wrong side of some recent blowouts lately, losing 12-4 on Sunday to the Brewers, 11-4 to the Angels earlier in the week, and then a 19-6 drubbing on May 31st by the Giants. Offensively, Hunter Goodman is having an excellent season, especially for a catcher (17 HRs, 829 OPS). The Cubs will miss Mickey Moniak, though, who's having a resurgent year in Colorado and is now on the 10-day IL dealing with ankle tendinitis.

Former Cub bench bat Willi Castro has found a home in Colorado as a switching-hitting utility player. He has just a .703 OPS but has been worth 0.5 WAR playing six different positions. I've always liked him, and I'm bummed he couldn't make it work with the Cubs.

Also, the Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer talked about opposing fans filling up Coors Field. He may hear some boo's today, but it may be from Cubs fans....

“Does it bother me? Absolutely…

…The only people we have to blame are ourselves”

Warren Schaeffer gets very candid on opposing fans packing Coors Field. pic.twitter.com/rVVydpaXFu
— Christian Saez🎙 (@DNVRSaez) June 9, 2026

On the Mound ...

Jun 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Colin Rea (53) delivers a pitch against the Athletics during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Cubs - Colin Rea, RHP

Rea got a no-decision in his last start with the Athletics, going 5.1 while allowing 2 earned runs and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. On the season, the veteran righty has a 4.59 ERA and hasn't allowed more than 4 runs in his last four starts.

Rea hasn't pitched in Colorado since 2024, where he went 7 shutout innings and got the win on 97 pitches. Still, the idea of him pitching in Denver is a bit scary. We all know he has a tendency to allow home runs. Plus, with an increase in his walk rate this year from 2.49 to 3.06 and a 2% increase in his HR/FB rate (12.3%), that could be a recipe for a bad outing from Rea.

Nevertheless, the Rockies are lacking much power and are 25th in home runs with only 61 on the season. Only the White Sox, Reds, and Angels strikeout more than them. Colin Rea's been solid this year and provided crucial innings for this battered pitching staff – let's hope tonight is another solid outing.

Jun 2, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Rockies – Tomoyuki Sugano, RHP

The 36-year-old Sugano has put together a string of solid starts, allowing only 3 runs or less in his last 4 outings. He is coming off his strongest outing of the year vs the Angels (5 IP, 2 ER, 5K). Sugano leans heavily on his fastball/split-finger combo with a sinker mixed in as well, but has 7 total pitches he throws.

His put away pitch is the split-finger with teams batting just .140 against, but his sinker and slider/sweeper have been crushed - all three pitches have opponent slugging percentages above .500. His 3.98 ERA is solid but for a pitcher who doesn't strike out batters (5.12 K/9) and doesn't get many ground balls at 38.3%, it feels like he should be giving up more home runs than 11 on the season.

Maybe the Cubs can change that tonight – let's hope for some fastballs this evening in Colorado.

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