Chicago Cubs Lineup (6/26/25): Tucker DH, Kelly Catching, Imanaga Pitching
What a difference a day makes, huh? Not that everyone was running around like the last of days were coming to the Cubs’ season, but it kind of felt that way in some corners of this collective space we all occupy. Even the most level-headed observers were feeling a little iffy about the team’s outlook, so a drubbing of the Cardinals that included both excellent pitching and big offense was a relief.
More of the same today would be even better, especially with Shōta Imanaga coming off the IL to make his first start in nearly two months. He left his May 4 outing in Milwaukee with a bum hamstring, the first such injury he’s ever suffered, and his absence has become increasingly noticeable. He won’t be fully stretched out, so the bullpen is going to have to carry a lot of the load today even if Imanaga is sharp.
Another power barrage will make that task quite a bit simpler for the pitching staff, and Ian Happ has certainly been providing pop from the leadoff spot of late. Kyle Tucker is in the DH spot after homering last night as well, then it’s Seiya Suzuki in right and Pete Crow-Armstrong in center. Dansby Swanson bats fifth at short, Michael Busch is at first, Carson Kelly does the catching, and Nico Hoerner is at second. Matt Shaw rounds out the order at third.
They’re facing 26-year-old righty Andre Pallante, owner of one of the funkier deliveries you’ll see from a big leaguer. While I admire the fact that he made it this far without anyone forcing him to change what has clearly worked well for him, I find his mechanics aesthetically displeasing. He’s not quite at Brent Suter‘s level, it’s just an odd look.
His glove hand shoots almost straight up and then, rather than stabilizing and coming to his chest, it rips through almost in perfect time with his throwing arm. There’s a little Chris Bassitt to it, now that I think about it. Here are some images to get you more familiar with the move.
I noted earlier that the coaches have not tried to fix something that was working, and that’s true, but Pallante isn’t having a great season. His 4.78 ERA is in line with his expected metrics and he’s near the bottom of the league in strikeout percentage while allowing homers at the highest rate of his career.
That last part is a bit odd because he’s also in the 99th percentile with a nearly 65% grounder rate. That comes from a 94-95 mph fastball that cuts and sinks to a high degree, to the point that his movement profile is almost wholly separate from the average MLB pitcher for that offering. What makes him even more of an outlier is a “sinker” that rides and cuts like a four-seam.
Pallante’s two-seam plays more like a four-seam, and he even throws it harder. If it weren’t for the definition already being applied to someone who leads with breaking or offspeed pitches, I’d say this is what it means to pitch backwards. He doesn’t throw the sinker very often, though, and it is used mostly against right-handed batters when he goes to it.
The funky fastballs, mainly the four-seam he throws about twice as frequently to lefties, could help to explain his massive reverse splits. Through 15 starts, righties are slashing .291/.360/.481, all at least 75 points higher than their left-handed counterparts. The slider he throws a little over a quarter of the time has been effective, but his knuckle-curve has not been, leading to very inconsistent results.
Pallante’s last start was one of his best this season, six shutout innings over which he gave up just two hits with four strikeouts and a walk against the Reds. He can get by with so few whiffs and giving up nearly one hit per inning by keeping the ball on the ground, so the Cubs will need to elevate the ball in order to make the most of his mistakes.
First pitch is at 1:15pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
