Cubs vs. Rockies Lineup: Expect More Home Runs, Conforto Back In, More

If the Cubs want to knot the series up with the Rockies, they will need the bats to wake up.

Jun 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (29) celebrates his solo home run in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It was another night of cold bats for the Cubs' offense, coming away with just two extra-base hits in the series opener. Shota Imanaga takes the mound tonight and hopes to avoid another home-run outburst after allowing four in his last start against the Athletics.

The Cubs are in a slugfest with the Rockies – the team with the worst record in baseball. That's where we're at, folks!

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs (34-33) vs Colorado Rockies (25-42)
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, C
3. Michael Busch, 1B
4. Alex Bregman, 3B
5. Ian Happ, LF
6. Seiya Suzuki, RF
7. Nico Hoerner, 2B
8. Michael Conforto, DH
9. Dansby Swanson, SS

Since May 1st, the Cubs' offense has fallen off a cliff, ranking 2nd to last in slug (.354), 26th in runs (137), and 17th in isolated power (.134). Before May 1st, the Cubs were top 5 in all three of those categories and had presumably cemented themselves as one of the best offenses in baseball.

That's clearly no longer the case, as this group continues to struggle to find the "big hit," as Craig Counsell referred to in his postgame comments last night. But it's hard to find that big hit when you're already down 7 runs by the 3rd inning!

Over the last month, Cubs hitters have made 66 outs on pitches in the heart of the zone while ahead in the count.

Roughly 3 outs per game on opportunity pitches.

See for yourself—here’s video of every one.

(Heart = pitch fully inside the strike zone, per Statcast/Savant) pic.twitter.com/jPn5ENBGeV

— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) June 10, 2026

The Cubs will be facing Michael Lorenzen tonight, a player they're familiar with from his time on the Reds. Ian Happ has 1.462 OPS with two home runs off Lorenzen in 13 PA's, but his most recent time facing him was back in 2021. They'll have Moises Ballesteros move from DH to catcher tonight to fit in Michael Conforto's bat and his .835 OPS vs RHP's this season.

Colorado Rockies Lineup

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

The Rockies got production from Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar last night, with each hitting a long ball. However, Warren Schaeffer is going with the right-handed bats vs Imanaga, so enter Braxton Fulford and Chad Stevens for today's lineup.

Cole Carrigg made his MLB debut in the opener, hitting a triple off Rea for his first MLB hit. It would have been pretty darn cool if it wasn't against the Cubs! Oh, well ...

Cole Carrigg triples for his first hit in the Majors! pic.twitter.com/kQ9M9wjScR

— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2026

On the Mound ...

Jun 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Cubs - Shota Imanaga, LHP

There's no other way to put it – Shota Imanaga has been terrible in his last six starts. A 6.26 ERA, 14 home runs allowed, and 42 hits in total over 41.2 innings. Most recently, Imanaga was tagged for 6 runs, allowing four homers, bumping his total to 17 home runs allowed on the year.

Imanaga has one start in his career vs the Rockies, and it was actually his Cubs and MLB debut back in 2024. He pitched a six-inning, two-hit gem at Wrigley Field, striking out 9 batters and picking up his first career win in the process. Oh boy, the Cubs give anything for something resembling that version of Imanaga tonight!

One positive for Imanaga has been the swing and miss stuff, particularly with his split-finger and sweeper, which are both generating nearly 40% whiff rates – both career highs for the 32-year-old veteran. But Imanaga's .505 slugging percentage against his fastball is what's killing him right now. Even with an increase in velocity, Shota's fastball hasn't been sharp enough to effectively set up his other pitches.

Another positive, the Rockies are 4-12 against left-handed starters this season, slugging just .356 with 10 home runs. Let's hope that means a bounce-back start for Imanaga. But this game could easily get ugly in a hurry tonight.

Jun 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) throws in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rockies – Michael Lorenzen, RHP

For as rough a go as Imanaga has had lately, Michael Lorenzen might be on a worse run. On the year, he has an 8.01 ERA and has allowed 11 home runs in 60.2 IP. In his last seven starts, he has a 9.84 ERA and allowed 8-runs to the Angels in his most recent start.

Lorenzen has allowed 4 or more runs in five of those last seven starts, as the 34-year-old suffers through the worst season of his career. He's exactly who the Cubs need to face tonight, assuming they can actually put some swings on mistake pitches. And Lorenzen has been giving up plenty of them so far this year.

Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen is allowing a .408/.457/.616 slash at home, with LHH slashing .448/.515/.793 against him there. RHH are at .373/.405/.463, so he's not effective against them either. If the Cubs can't get it done tonight...

— Evan Altman (@DEvanAltman) June 10, 2026

The Cubs will likely need to get Imanaga some run support tonight in his first start in Colorado; Lorenzen seems primed to help them do so.

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