Chicago Cubs Lineup (3/31/26): Shaw Back in RF, Amaya Catching, Taillon Tossing

Sorry for giving you bottom-barrel effort today, but I am just sitting down at the computer for the first time today after a college visit, the drive home, and then a long baseball workout with my kid. The visit was great, as was the previous day’s, and I think we took a big step toward clarifying his future after high school. In the meantime, I fell behind in my work here. Not that anyone reads the lineup posts, but I still feel obligated.

With less than an hour to go before first pitch, however, I don’t think there’s much salient insight I can provide. The Cubs are starting Jameson Taillon, whose spring performance left more than a little to be desired. The Angels will counter with righty José Soriano, who likewise looked rough to start Cactus League action. But after giving up seven runs in his first two starts, he put up two scoreless efforts with one hit allowed in each.

Soriano then blanked the Astros with just two hits allowed over six innings in his season debut. He struck out seven in that one, but walked four in a continuation of the control issues that have long plagued him. What keeps that from giving him big trouble is an elite groundball rate that comes from throwing his 97 mph bowling-ball sinker nearly half the time.

Soriano’s curveball makes up over a quarter of his pitches, though it hasn’t been quite as effective. His splitter might be his best pitch in terms of relative value, he just doesn’t throw it enough for it to be a real weapon. He sprays the ball around too much to get the kind of chase and whiff numbers you might expect from a guy with his profile, but that sinker is a real equalizer that bails him out of more jams than it has any right to.

The Cubs either need to be so patient that the walks create more problems than grounders can solve, or they’ll have to elevate and celebrate. That latter option might be off the table with winds blowing in hard from left, so I’m saying station-to-station baseball will win this one.

That’ll start with Michael Busch, Alex Bregman, Ian Happ, and Pete Crow-Armstrong in their normal spots. Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson hold down the middle infield, Moises Ballesteros is the DH, Matt Shaw is in right, and Miguel Amaya is catching.

First pitch is at 6:40pm CT on Marquee and The Score.

Night two vs. the Angels.

Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/w6mTqPYlzr

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 31, 2026