The Chicago Cubs head into Sunday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a pair of wins already in the books and a chance to complete a sweep at Wrigley Field.
Manager Craig Counsell has decided to shuffle the batting order for the afternoon game, sliding veteran third baseman Alex Bregman from the two-hole into the cleanup spot, via Underdog MLB.
Seiya Suzuki, who had been hitting lower in the order, moves up to second behind leadoff man Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The adjustment arrives at a moment when Bregman is swinging the bat with renewed authority. He entered the weekend on a three-game hitting streak, going 5-for-9 with a home run and two doubles.
On Friday, he launched his 25th homer of the season in a 12-2 rout, then added another hit in Saturday’s tight 4-3 victory. Those recent extra-base knocks have helped restore the production that defined much of his career in Houston and later in Boston.
After a sluggish first half that saw his average dip and his power numbers lag, Bregman has posted a far more typical line since mid-July, reminding observers why the Cubs signed him as a free agent before the 2026 season.
Placing him fourth puts extra RBI opportunities in front of a hitter who already has 84 this year. Michael Busch will now bat third, giving the Cubs a left-right-left combination through the heart of the order before Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Michael Conforto follow.
The rest of the lineup remains familiar: Crow-Armstrong in center, Suzuki in right, Happ in left, Hoerner at short, Pedro Ramírez at second and Miguel Amaya behind the plate. Left-hander Matthew Boyd gets the start opposite Pittsburgh’s Bubba Chandler.
The Cubs sit at 83-66 and are 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central but are still holding on to a Wild Card spot with a couple of weeks remaining.
Every win against a Pirates club that has faded to 74-75 carries extra weight. Bregman’s recent surge and the modest lineup tweak reflect Counsell’s willingness to tinker when the calendar grows short.
Whether the cleanup role unlocks still more production from a 32-year-old who has already delivered a 5-WAR season remains to be seen on the field Sunday afternoon.
What is already clear is that Chicago is treating the series finale as more than a routine September game.
