The Chicago Cubs opened their final series before the All-Star break against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night with Seiya Suzuki back in right field and Michael Conforto moved to designated hitter. The game was scheduled for 6:10 PM CT at Great American Ball Park, with the Cubs trying to start the series on the right note before the break.
The Cubs entered at 50-41 against a Reds team sitting at 42-50, and the lineup showed no hesitation about putting Suzuki back in the field after he left last night’s game early because of cramps. He had rewarded that confidence with two home runs and five RBIs over the previous two games after going four games without a hit, a stretch that makes his immediate return more than a routine lineup note.
Pete Crow-Armstrong led off in center field, with Alex Bregman batting second and playing third base, Michael Busch third at first base and Suzuki fourth. Ian Happ, who played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati and was born in Pittsburgh, batted fifth in left field after two hits in Baltimore. Nico Hoerner followed at second base, Conforto hit seventh as the designated hitter, Carson Kelly caught and Dansby Swanson rounded out the order at shortstop.
That alignment matters because this is the Cubs’ final series before the All-Star break, and every game now carries more weight in the standings and in the race behind the Brewers. The Reds have been called a struggling NL Central foe, but they have also been the kind of opponent that can punish mistakes, especially with a pitching staff that has given up the sixth-most home runs this season.
For the Cubs, the real question is not whether Suzuki can play through discomfort for one night. It is whether the lineup they chose here, with Conforto shifted to open room for him, is the one they want carrying them into the break if the bats keep warming up and the standings keep tightening.
