Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/29/25): Busch Leads Off, Shaw Eighth, Horton Starting
No more bitching about the Cubs’ lack of scoring, at least for today, because they are in the land of milk and honey when it comes to busting slumps. And no, I don’t mean Murphy’s Bleachers on any given Friday night from 1988-2000. The Cubs are a mile high and should be able to get drunk on runs at Coors Field against a substandard Rockies pitching staff.
Even better, they’re sending Cade Horton to the mound. Yes, the man with the 0.49 ERA in seven second-half starts. Horton has yet to yield more than one run in any of those games, all but one of which have seen him go at least five innings. A blister cut the other outing short, but he bounced back well against the Angels last weekend. Horton has improved his strikeout numbers as well, putting up 10.8 K/9 over his last four starts.
An elite strike-thrower who has pitched with incredible efficiency of late, Horton keeps games moving quickly. He may not need to be as sharp if his offense can support him, but continuing this recent trend virtually guarantees a win.
Craig Counsell is trolling us by batting Michael Busch at leadoff, and I’m willing to bet the first baseman homers. Kyle Tucker is in right, Seiya Suzuki is the DH, Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center, and Ian Happ is in left. Nico Hoerner is at second, Dansby Swanson plays short, Matt Shaw is at third, and Reese McGuire does the catching.
They’re facing 30-year-old righty Germán Márquez, who is in the final year of a two-year, $20 million extension that could mark the end of a decade in Denver. The stout righty once looked the part of a future ace, putting up solid ERA marks despite the conditions and throwing 175+ innings per season. His ERA and strikeout numbers have gone in opposite directions since 2020, however, and elbow reconstruction cost him most of the past two seasons.
Perhaps best known to Cubs fans for beaning Kris Bryant with a 96 mph fastball back in April of 2018, Márquez has toiled in relative obscurity for a club no one really cares about. Speaking of KB, he’s on the 60-day IL as he works through issues related to degenerative disc disease. His health issues have stunted what looked like a potential Hall of Fame career.
Back to Márquez, who has been one of the worst pitchers in MLB this season. His Baseball Savant card looks like one of the Cubs fans who should make up a majority of the crowd this weekend, by which I mean it’s all blue. Only his 95.1 mph fastball velocity offers a hint at getting to red. The heater has been abused this season, as have the curve, slider, and change. Only his sinker has generated something approximating positive value.
This guy is an equal-opportunity pitcher, serving up hits in bunches to hitters from both sides of the plate. Lefties have really tuned up on him, though, slashing .315/.386/.530 with nine of the 13 homers he’s surrendered. Interestingly enough, he’s actually been very good against right-handed hitters at Coors. The Cubs have no excuse for not getting over on Márquez, so we’ll see if they can give Craig Counsell something good to talk about after the game.
First pitch is at 7:40pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
