The Chicago Cubs are closing out the first half of their season with a three-game series against the New York Yankees. The Yankees have a former Cub on their roster, Cody Bellinger, who had a great night against his former team. Bellinger had a career night, going 3-5, with all three hits being home runs, and having six RBIs.
It’s ironic, to say the least, that Bellinger had his first three-home run game of his career against the team that traded him as part of a salary dump, but it’s a nice way to get back at them. The Cubs are playing some good baseball heading into the break, going 6-4 in their last ten games, and they hope to bounce back and win the final two games against the Yankees.
Ahead of the break, the Cubs and their manager, Craig Counsell, decided to shuffle things up for today’s game as they face a tough lefty in Max Fried.
The Chicago Cubs adjust their lineup ahead of the All-Star break and moving forward
MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Jul 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs first base coach Jose Javier (65) restrains outfielder Ian Happ (8) while he was arguing a call with umpire Adam Hamari (78) during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The Cubs have decided to change their lineup ahead of their second game with the Yankees. Manager Craig Counsell told Patrick Mooney of The Athletic that he will change the leadoff spot against lefties moving forward. Counsell said to Mooney that he spoke to Ian Happ, who has been the Cubs’ primary leadoff hitter for this season, and told him that he’s going to bat second baseman Nico Hoerner in the leadoff spot against lefties and have him still bat leadoff against righties. Counsell based his decision on how well Hoerner hits lefties.
“Cubs manager Craig Counsell: “I talked to Ian (Happ) and we’re going to make a change at the leadoff spot against lefties. For now, Nico (Hoerner) will lead off. He’s been productive against left-handed pitching. It’s as simple as that.”
Happ, who is the team’s only switch-hitter in the lineup, is a manager’s dream when it comes to matchups. Sadly, he has not done well in his splits against lefties and righties this season, having a .223 average and an OPS of .658 in 56 games against left-handed pitching, and a .224 average and .712 OPS in 80 games against right-handers.
On the other hand, Hoerner has been great against left-handed pitching, hitting .349 with an OPS of .905 in 47 games against left-handed pitching, while hitting .266 with an OPS of .648 in 87 games against righties, which is respectable. The downside of having Nico bat leadoff, even though he hits lefties well, is that he has a .118 average and a .343 OPS in the first inning.
The leadoff spot moving forward
MLB: Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins MLB: Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins Jul 10, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) hits a RBI single during the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
Having a platoon in the leadoff spot isn’t the worst thing in the world, but hopefully, this isn’t something that will last the rest of the season. The Cubs utilized their star centerfielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, in the leadoff spot when Happ spent some time on the injured list earlier in the year, but he is doing great where he is now, hitting in the heart of the order.
Going with Hoerner today makes sense, as Fried has been tough to go against, holding left-handed hitters to a .204 average and having 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings and righties to a .205 average and having 78 strikeouts in 89.0 innings. Hoerner is more of a bat-to-ball hitter, while Happ strikes out more, so this was the right move for Counsell to make.
