On Monday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs will begin a four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
The Cubs will look to break an eight-game losing streak, after being swept by the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers. Most recently, Chicago lost the series finale 8-5 against the Astros at Wrigley.
Outfielder Ian Happ was absent from the Cubs lineup the final two games as he was given a mental breather by manager Craig Counsell.
Chicago Cubs Make Ian Happ Decision
P. Crow-Armstrong CF I. Happ LF M. Busch 1B A. Bregman 3B M. Conforto RF P. Ramírez 2B M. Ballesteros DH M. Amaya C D. Swanson SS
B. Brown SP
The Chicago Cubs announced their lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Underdog MLB wrote: “Cubs 5/25 P. Crow-Armstrong CF I. Happ LF M. Busch 1B A. Bregman 3B M. Conforto RF P. Ramírez 2B M. Ballesteros DH M. Amaya C D. Swanson SS B. Brown SP”
Regarding why Happ was out of the lineup the past two games, Jared Wyllys posted on X:
“Ian Happ is out of the lineup for the second straight game for a mental breather. Craig Counsell said he told him to take Saturday off completely, and today he’s been hitting and doing other typical pregame work. Plan is to have him in Monday’s lineup in Pittsburgh.”
Happ has struggled during the month of May. Happ is batting .188 in May with 34 strikeouts and only six RBI’s.
After Friday’s loss in the series opener against the Astros, Happ was asked if there could be some changes to the team’s lineup. Happ responded, “You’ll have to ask the manager.”
For the season, Happ is batting .214 with 39 hits, 10 home runs, 35 runs, 20 RBI’s and two stolen bases in 49 games. His .779 OPS aligns with career norms, but he is in the middle of an extended slump this month.
Despite the struggles, Happ was confident in the team turning things around as he said, “We’ve got a really great group, really experienced group. We’ll come out the other side of it.”
Social Media Reactions To Cubs Lineup
The Chicago Cubs lineup also features the return of Dansby Swanson to the team, as he was also absent from Sunday’s finale against the Astros. Additionally, Nico Hoerner is absent from the team’s lineup. The Cubs decisions were met with the following reactions on social media:
@theseanhealy: “Conforto needs to to back to a part time role, your going to ruin him otherwise . He’s not that guy anymore”
@bregmanicobusch: “Ian Happ struck out looking as u tweeted this”
@Zabojake: “Was having a nice morning before I was reminded of this. How many we losing by today?”
@TigerElite2159: Happ is only batting so high because he’s a switch hitter.
Cubs Announce Ian Happ Decision Before Pirates Game