Chicago Cubs Lineups (3/20/26) Split Squads Have Boyd, Taillon Pitching Tonight
The Cubs will split up and play two games this evening, one at home against the Reds and the other at Hohokam against the A’s. There’s no coverage of the game at Sloan, but Marquee will broadcast the latter. I can only assume that means they’re just showing the A’s broadcast, as it would be weird as hell to produce the road game.
Between the late starts due to extreme heat and the NCAA tourney going on, I’m finding it very difficult to put much effort into previewing either game. Then there’s the news that Jacob Zanolla is leaving to join Bleacher Nation. We’ve known about that for some time, but the reality of it finally coming to fruition is a little jarring. He’ll be impossible to replace, but the good news is that he’ll still be providing Cubs fans with great reporting.
I’ll keep soldiering on in the meantime, and my hope is that I can shake this malaise prior to Opening Day. Probably nothing a little sunshine can’t fix, which is why I’m looking forward to the next few days. The Cubs, who are actively avoiding the Arizona sun, need Jameson Taillon to shed the funk he’s been mired in all spring.
Taillon will be on the bump against the A’s as he looks to rebound from his worst start yet, a 10-run debacle that saw him walk four while allowing two more homers. That’s now eight dingers in four starts, and he’s walked seven batters to just six strikeouts in 9.1 innings. He looked okay in his WBC start, but it’s getting harder to dismiss these rough outings as no more than a veteran shaking off some rust.
Matthew Boyd is back from the WBC as well, and he’ll take the mound at Sloan for the first time since late February. Boyd has looked tremendous in two spring starts, though he wasn’t quite as strong on the international stage. It’ll be good to see hear have him back out there as he preps for his Opening Day outing next week.
First pitch from Sloan is at 8:05pm CT and the Hohokam contest starts at 8:10pm; respective lineups are below.
Split squad tonight!
The game at Athletics will be streamed on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/xlXdyuXXGH
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 20, 2026
