Chicago Cubs Lineup (9/13/25): Busch Leads Off, Caissie RF, Rea Starting
There’s some inclement weather in the Chicago area, with thunderstorms possibly producing small hail through the morning and into the early afternoon. It’s supposed to clear out well before the start of the game, but we’ll see how everything goes. Also blowing into town was a big ginger outfielder by the name of Owen Caissie, who is trading places with Kevin Alcántara as a bench bat that won’t be used.
Colin Rea is making the start six days after being the bulk man behind opener Drew Pomeranz, similar to what the Cubs did four months earlier. Both games were attempts to shake the righty loose from a funk, and it may have worked this time. Rea went 5.1 innings with just one run allowed on three hits against the Nationals. He also struck out six with no walks, so that’s good.
This is a better lineup than what Washington put forth, so he’ll need to be sharper. At this point in the season, just getting a little length from Rea is really all the Cubs need. Even if that means making him wear one, which has happened more than once already, Craig Counsell needs to ensure his pitching staff is fresh. Maybe Rea and the rest of the team will get an emotional boost from having Anthony Rizzo on hand to celebrate his retirement.
The all-timer will be wearing his No. 44 Cubs jersey emblazoned with signatures from all the pediatric cancer patients he has visited over the years. That’s pretty damn cool. I shared that with a friend, who then told me how Rizzo had helped his family when his daughter was battling cancer. For everything he did for the Cubs on the field, Rizzo’s greatest legacy is being a champion for kids and families across the country.
The jersey I’ll be retiring in… signed by all the patients we have visited over the years who were battling cancer. @Cubs @LurieChildrens pic.twitter.com/MHf7ttz2au
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) September 12, 2025
That said, maybe the greatest leadoff hitter of all time can lend a little mojo to Michael Busch in that role today. Ian Happ is in left, Carson Kelly is catching, and Pete Crow-Armstrong plays center. Nico Hoerner is at second, Moises Ballesteros is the DH, Dansby Swanson is at short, and…wait…it can’t be: Caissie is getting the start in right. Will wonders never cease? Matt Shaw rounds things out at third.
They’re up against 30-year-old Drew Rasmussen, who was a potential Cubs trade target in the offseason. Such a move would have drawn waves of virtual guano from the cloacas of all the boo-birds who believe Jed Hoyer only targets pitchers who’ve had Tommy John. It would have been a risky move for sure, as Rasmussen missed most of the 2023 and ’24 seasons following an internal brace procedure on his right elbow.
He bounced back quite nicely, averaging over 97 mph on his fastball across 16 relief and/or opening appearances last season. The heater is down a little this season over 28 legit starts, but we’re talking 96 mph with good cut and ride. Rasmussen’s fastball trio of four-seam, cutter, and sinker might be the best in the game right now, with Statcast putting it in the 100th percentile at 32 runs of value. Those pitches make up about 90% of his repertoire, so it’s a matter of both quality and quantity.
The 95-96 mph sinker has more ride than most and the 90 mph cutter gets a lot more depth, operating more like a slider than a fastball variation. It really should be classified as a breaking ball because that’s what it is for all intents and purposes. It has so much movement that it can even get into sweeper territory. Rasmussen throws his 85 mph sweeper very little, same as his curve and change.
Those latter two are thrown almost exclusively to left-handed batters, with the sweeper used mainly against righties. The four-seam is thrown at a higher percentage to lefties the sinker more to righties, with the cutter serving as more of an equal-opportunity weapon. Having three strong pitches allows Rasmussen to stifle hitters on either side, though his splits are still pretty traditional.
This is going to be a tough matchup, one that might rely on the Cubs staying in the game until they can get into the Rays’ bullpen. Rasmussen has given up as many as three runs just once in his last 11 starts, and he’s shut his opponents out in three of those games. He hasn’t gone more than six innings or thrown more than 92 pitches this season, though, so even a great effort won’t last too long. I’d really like to see the Cubs take advantage of their opportunities by being aggressive on the bases.
They’ve not done a great job of honoring former players this season, but maybe that changes for Rizzo this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
