On Thursday night, the Chicago Cubs will face off against the Athletics in the final game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Most recently, the Chicago Cubs lost 5-4 as they officially lost the series.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson went 1-for-4 in the loss on Wednesday with a pair of strikeouts.
Chicago Cubs Announce Dansby Swanson Change
Ahead of the series finale, the Chicago Cubs have announced their starting lineup, as they look to avoid the sweep.
N. Hoerner 2B P. Crow-Armstrong CF A. Bregman DH S. Suzuki RF I. Happ LF D. Swanson SS M. Busch 1B P. Ramírez 3B M. Amaya C
C. Rea SP
Underdog MLB posted on X: “Cubs 6/4 P. Crow-Armstrong CF M. Conforto RF M. Busch 1B A. Bregman 3B I. Happ LF N. Hoerner 2B M. Ballesteros C P. Ramírez DH D. Swanson SS S. Imanaga SP”
After hitting sixth in the loss on Wednesday, Swanson has been moved back down in the lineup and will serve as the team’s No. 9 hitter in the series finale.
On the season, Swanson is batting .183 with 36 hits, six doubles, seven home runs, 34 runs, 27 RBIs, and five stolen bases. His .620 OPS would be the lowest of his MLB career.
Defensively, Swanson has been strong as usual. He is fifth-among qualified shortstops in outs above average and eight in defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs. As a team, the Chicago Cubs are also in the top-10 in both metrics.
Chicago Cubs Right Now
After their hot start to the season, the Chicago Cubs have struggled over the past few weeks and dropped to fourth place in the National League Central. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and find themselves 6.5 games back of the division leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga will take the mound in Thursday’s game as he looks to break a three-game skid for Chicago. Imanaga enters Thursday’s game with a 4-6 record in 12 starts and a 4.37 ERA across 70 innings pitched. He struggled in his most recent outing, as he allowed five runs in 5.1 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Athletics Right Now
Meanwhile, the Athletics have also announced their starting lineup.
Underdog MLB posted on X: “Athletics 6/4 H. Bolte CF N. Kurtz 1B S. Langeliers DH C. Thomas RF T. Soderstrom LF J. Heim C Z. Gelof 3B J. McNeil 2B A. Williams SS J. Ginn SP”
Despite winning the first two games of the series, the Athletics are only 4-6 in their last 10 games. Right-handed pitcher J.T. Ginn will make his 11th start of the season and 14th overall appearance. He enters Thursday’s game with a 3-3 record and a 2.87 ERA across 59.2 innings.
Chicago Cubs Announce Dansby Swanson Move Before Athletics Game