The Chicago Cubs will face a star pitcher making his MLB debut on Saturday night, and they’ve made a few changes to their lineup.
The Cubs will give Kevin Alcántara just his seventh start of the season on Saturday, and he’ll slot into the eighth spot in the lineup and play left field, giving Ian Happ the night off as the Cubs face left-handed starter Kade Anderson.
Tyrone Taylor will also get the start in right field, as manager Craig Counsell continues to use him in spots against left-handed starters.
Miguel Amaya will get the start at catcher after Carson Kelly backstopped the team during Friday night’s loss to the Mariners.
Alex Bregman is also batting third and playing third base a night after he hit two home runs, including a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, and Pete Crow-Armstrong will bat leadoff and play center field after hitting a lead-off home run on Friday.
Here is the team’s full lineup:
1 Pete Crow-Armstrong CF
2 Seiya Suzuki DH
3 Alex Bregman 3B
4 Michael Busch 1B
5 Nico Hoerner SS
6 Tyrone Taylor RF
7 Pedro Ramírez 2B
8 Kevin Alcántara LF
9 Miguel Amaya C
David Peterson is set to pitch for the Cubs after making a relief appearance in his last outing. He re-entered the rotation after Edward Cabrera was put back on the injured list with a blister issue on his pitching hand.
He’ll be opposed by Anderson, the No. 3 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Anderson has had a sparkling season at the Double-A level in the Mariners’ system, with a 10-1 record, a 1.06 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 93 innings.
The Cubs and Mariners will square off at 6:15 p.m., with the game airing in Chicago on Fox Chicago + and on Fox in other parts of the U.S.