The Chicago Cubs lost their series opener against the Seattle Mariners in dramatic fashion on Friday night, falling 6-5 on a walk-off single by Leo Rivas.
Now, ahead of Saturday night’s matchup, which will feature Mariners top pitching prospect Kade Anderson making his MLB debut against Cubs left-hander David Peterson, Chicago manager Craig Counsell made a few tweaks to his lineup.
Cubs Announce Seiya Suzuki Change
One player seeing a slight change from Friday to Saturday is outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who recorded one hit but struck out three times in the series opener.
For Game 2, Suzuki will remain in the lineup and bat second, but he’ll serve as the team’s designated hitter while getting a day off from the outfield.
Without Suzuki in the outfield, Chicago will start Tyrone Taylor in right field, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Kevin Alcantara in left.
Via Underdog MLB: “Cubs 8/22 P. Crow-Armstrong CF S. Suzuki DH A. Bregman 3B M. Busch 1B N. Hoerner SS T. Taylor RF P. Ramírez 2B K. Alcántara LF M. Amaya C D. Peterson SP.”
Cubs 8/22
P. Crow-Armstrong CF
S. Suzuki DH
A. Bregman 3B
M. Busch 1B
N. Hoerner SS
T. Taylor RF
P. Ramírez 2B
K. Alcántara LF
M. Amaya CD. Peterson SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 22, 2026
Suzuki’s 2026 Season
In his fifth season with the Cubs, Suzuki has appeared in 111 games and is hitting .267 across 423 at-bats with a .480 slugging percentage.
He’s recorded 71 runs, 113 hits, 22 home runs and 74 RBIs while maintaining a .839 OPS.
Cubs Right Now
As for Chicago, the Cubs enter Saturday with a 74-55 record, putting them 6.0 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago trailed by just 4.0 games earlier this week before losing two straight.
However, the Cubs still hold the top Wild Card spot in the NL. If the season ended today, they would host the Philadelphia Phillies in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
Chicago Cubs Announce Seiya Suzuki Change During Mariners Series