The Cubs are looking to secure the series against their division rival after an excellent Ben Brown start on Saturday night. Maybe the tarps will stay on in St. Louis this time?
Who: Chicago Cubs
(32-27) at St. Louis Cardinals
(30-26)
Where: Busch Stadium
When: 6:20 PM CT
Watch: NBC/Peacock
Listen: 104.3 The Score
1. Nico Hoerner
, 2B
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong
,CF
3. Alex Bregman
, 3B
4. Seiya Suzuki
, RF
5. Ian Happ
, LF
6. Carson Kelly
, C
7. Michael Busch
, 1B
8. Kevin Alcantara
, DH
9.Dansby Swanson, SS
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a breakout game last night , first with a massive insurance solo home run in the top of the 8th and then coming through in the top 9th with a 2-run single. And don't forget his awesome sliding catch for the final out! The Cubs had 12 total hits on Saturday and are hoping to get more off Liberatore , who's allowed at least seven in his last three starts.
Kevin Alcantara gets the start at DH tonight to face the lefty in Liberatore. This will mark his first start of the 2026 campaign, having only entered the game as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement. Prior to his call-up, "The Jaguar" had a .922 OPS with 6 home runs in May and was slugging .647 vs LHP's on the season in Triple-A. That's real lefty-crusher potential for Alcantara!
1. JJ Wetherhold, 2B
2. Ivan Herrera
, DH
3. Jordan Walker
, RF
4. Nelson Velazquez, LF
5. Alec Burelson, 1B
6. Masyn Winn
, SS
7. Jose Fermin, CF
8. Thomas Saggese
, 3B
9. Pedro Pages
, C
Nelson Velzquez is back in the lineup to face lefty Jordan Wicks , Thomas Saggese is also back at 3B, while Pedro Pages makes his first start of the series at catcher tonight. Ben Brown kept the Cardinals off-balance most of the night, allowing just three hits. But St. Louis only managed two more the rest of the way. It didn't help that they ran into an out at 3B when Suzuki threw out Herrera all the way from right field. The Cubs' defense continues to impress!
May 26, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jordan Wicks (36) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Wicks was tuned up in his first start of the season, allowing 8 earned runs on nine hits, lasting only 4.1 innings vs the Pirates on Tuesday. From the jump, Wicks simply didn't have it, allowing the first three batters to reach before finally retiring a batter. The Pirates proceeded to put up a 5-run first inning in what turned out to be a disastrous night for the Cubs . Wicks came back and struck out the side the following inning and seemed to settle in until the 5th, when he allowed another run and left the game with the bases loaded.
Cubs would go on to lose that game 12-1 in Pittsburgh , and Wicks' ERA inflated to 16.61 on the season. Not ideal, but Wicks did try mixing in a third pitch on top of his fastball and change-up, leaning on his slider 15 percent of the time. Wicks' fastball tops out at about 94 mph, and his change-up plays off that rather well. But the lefty struggles with an out pitch against right-handed batters, which is where a slider, sinker, or curveball comes into play.
He's used all three pitches at different points of his career, so what he leans on more tonight will be something to watch for in St. Louis. He does need to put the ball on the ground a lot more, so a sinker would make the most sense to me.
Jun 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) delivers against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The 26-year-old Liberatore has been fine to start the year. He's allowed 3 or more runs in his last three starts and walked two batters, but he struck out nine and 10 batters, respectively, in his two most recent outings. Liberatore's also allowed 7 or more hits in his last three starts as well, and currently ranks in the bottom 7.0 percent of xBA and bottom 10.0 percent of xSLG.
Liberatore has solid stuff and can confuse batters. However, he just does a lot of things that hurt himself on the mound. The Cubs' offense should be able to get to him and possibly cash in on early runners in this game, if his command is off.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cubs/onsi as Cubs vs Cardinals Lineup: Alcantara Finally Starts, Can Wicks Shake It Off? More .
