Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/18/25, Game 1): Caissie in LF, Castro at 2B, Horton Starting
Sorry I’m late to the party and rushing on this one, but I had to get my daughter moved into her dorm room. The last time we had an undertaking like this was getting her to Shriners in St. Louis back in 2019, so I’m very thankful the trip was much shorter and for a far more exciting reason. It helped that this was for a specialized pre-orientation program, so the campus was still very slow.
Let’s get right into this one since I’m cutting it so short. Cade Horton has allowed just one run in his last five starts, and that tally only came after he’d left the game last week in Toronto. I’ll take an extra run or two all day if it means Horton is striking out eight batters like he did in that one. As odd as that might sound, the rookie’s weakness has been an inability to put hitters away.
For the sake of his long-term performance, blowing that 98 mph fastball by hitters and getting them to chase his slider will make him a better pitcher. He’s done a good job of keeping the ball on the ground and limiting walks, so pushing the strikeout totals higher will be the next big step for his growth. Now to see if the offense can make it so he doesn’t have to throw a shutout.
Michael Busch leads off at first, Kyle Tucker is in right, and Seiya Suzuki is the DH. Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center, Carson Kelly is catching, and Owen Caissie finally gets another start. Nico Hoerner is at short, Willi Castro is at second, and Matt Shaw is at third.
This is Caissie’s first action in the field after serving as the DH in his debut and then riding the bench for three games before pinch-hitting for Shaw late in Sunday’s win. Makes total sense not to play him all weekend, then have him bat for the team’s best hitter in the second half.
“In Toronto, I stated very clearly — we’ve got a pretty good group of outfielders here, and Owen’s got to cross that bar,” Craig Counsell said prior to Sunday’s game. “We’re going to play the best guys every day.”
I’ll share more thoughts on this whole thing in a separate piece.
Going for the Brewers is Freddy Peralta, who the Cubs roughed up in their only win up in Milwaukee almost three weeks ago. They had five runs in that one after hanging three on him in their previous matchup, so both were much better efforts than when Peralta tossed six shutout frames on May 4. The righty has allowed only one run with 14 strikeouts and four walks over his last two starts, and those five runs by the Cubs were the most he’s given up in a game this year.
Should be a tough one, but that’s pretty much how every Cubs game has been this month. Maybe they can push the Brewers into a bit of a skid now that their 14-game winning streak has ended. First pitch is at 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Let’s play two!
Watch game one of today’s doubleheader on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/hoXOjdqD0m
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 18, 2025
