Chicago Cubs Lineup (3/30/26): Same Lineup as Yesterday, Cabrera Starting
Dropping two of three to the Nationals wasn’t part of the plan for the Cubs, but no season has ever been decided after the first series. Losing three of four will doom them, though, so Monday is a must-win game. Okay, maybe it’s not that serious.
Nor will it be a referendum on whether or not the Edward Cabrera trade was a good idea, not that it’ll stop folks from worrying if he doesn’t shove. Owen Caissie just walked off Sunday’s game to get the Marlins to 3-0, creating at least a light murmur of concern in the process. Cabrera will get his first taste of pitching at Wrigley Field tonight, and I think we’ll see something special.
The lineup is the same tonight as it was in yesterday’s loss, with Michael Busch leading off at first base and Alex Bregman at third. Ian Happ is in left, Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center, Nico Hoerner is at second, and Carson Kelly is behind the plate. Moisés Ballesteros serves as the DH, Dansby Swanson plays short, and Michael Conforto makes his official Cubs debut in right.
Going for the Angels is 23-year-old switch-hitting righty Ryan Johnson, who debuted last season with 14 relief appearances. The switch-hitting thing is funny because MLB.com still lists him as such even though he’ll never have to bat. What’s not funny is the speed with which Johnson was promoted last year. The No. 74 overall pick out of Dallas Baptist in the summer of 2024, the righty made only 14 starts at High-A before being called up to Anaheim.
It’s just another example of rapid ascension from an organization that has become known as the most aggressive in the game when it comes to pushing prospects through the system. Johnson is a backwards pitcher who throws his 95 mph fastball less than any other pitch, leading with a cutter (43%), sweeper (22%), and sinker (22%) as part of a heavy east-west repertoire.
He throws from a low three-quarter slot and works the edges of the zone heavily, which he has to because of his mediocre extension. Johnson isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he may be able to junk them to death. His game is predicated on getting weak contact on the ground, or at least that’s been the case so far in his young career.
I’m interested to see whether and how his strong spring results translate to the regular season as he gets his first MLB start. First pitch is at 6:40pm CT on Marquee and The Score.
