Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/30/25): Busch Leads Off, Castro 3B, Assad Starting
Update: The game will be delayed by inclement weather, new start time is 7:30pm CT.
The Cubs busted out their big-boy bats last night, jumping out to an 11-3 lead and hanging on for a skid-stopping win. It was the 11th time they’ve scored four or more runs this month, all of which have been wins. It’s a good thing they pushed into double digits, though, as the Coors Effect was in full…well, it was evident the ball was flying well. Now if they can keep the offense humming.
I don’t know if Javier Assad can play the cello, but he sure looks like Yo-Yo Ma the way he’s been optioned and recalled over the last two weeks. He is now replacing Jameson Taillon, who went back on the IL after his last start with a groin issue. Assad pitched six strong innings against the Angels last week, allowing one run on two hits in his third big league appearance of the season.
Assad has pitched at Coors twice in his career, serving up eight earned runs on 12 hits over 9.1 innings. We saw with Cade Horton how the altitude can mess with a pitcher’s stuff, and Assad has never been the most efficient worker. This could be one of those games where the Cubs just need their starter to hang on long enough to keep them in the game against a bad Rockies staff.
Michael Busch hit a 466-foot homer last night and he’s back in the leadoff spot, followed by Kyle Tucker in right and Seiya Suzuki at DH. Ian Happ bats cleanup in left, Nico Hoerner is at second, and Pete Crow-Armstrong patrols one of the largest center fields in all the land. Carson Kelly is the catcher, shortstop Dansby Swanson drops to the eight-hole after hitting two homers, and Willi Castro plays third.
On the bump for the home team is McCade Brown, who sounds like a short-lived TBS detective show starring a pair of former child-star actors trying to hang on for one last shot at being taken seriously as adults. Instead, he’s a 25-year-old righty who I’m guessing is from a southern state and attended an SEC university. Oh no, this is embarrassing. He’s from Normal, IL and pitched for the Indiana Hoosiers in college.
Brown was a draft-eligible sophomore after having his original second season cancelled by COVID in 2020, and his redo was enough to get him selected in the third round the following year as the 79th overall pick. He missed all of 2023 and big chunks of the sandwich seasons due to elbow reconstruction, but progressed quickly through the system nonetheless.
After not pitching above A-ball prior to this season, Brown opened the 2025 campaign at High-A and was bumped to Double-A after nine starts. His domination at that level spurred the Rox to call him up without as much as an inning at Triple-A, and this will be his second big league start. The 25-year-old has put up massive strikeout numbers in the minors, punching 267 tickets in 198 innings over parts of four seasons.
Ranked at No. 26 on MLB Pipeline’s list of Rockies prospects, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Brown certainly looks the part of an MLB starter. He’s oozing with stuff, throwing a mid-90s sinker with high ride that he likes to land up in the zone. He’s also got a sharp slider in the mid-80s and an upper-70s curve with plenty of depth and more horizontal movement than most. His changeup 86-ish mph changeup could develop into something decent in time.
The problem for Brown is that he sprays the ball all over the place, kind of like a modern-day Dillon Maples. His curveball heat map has 10 distinct hot spots ranging from way up and out on the arm side to down and away on the glove side. His slider is likewise an adventure, often landing too far from the zone to be competitive. That hasn’t been much of a problem against low-level minor league hitters, but the thin air and more discerning opponents are a different story.
Brown struck out two Pirates over 3.2 innings in his debut six days ago, but he also walked three and gave up five hits. That was in Pittsburgh, so this will be his first time pitching in front of a home crowd. Wait, this is the Rockies we’re talking about. That means it’ll be his first time pitching in his club’s home ballpark, but it’ll still be like an away game. And given how few people were actually at PNC Park last weekend, I’m guessing this will easily be the biggest crowd he’s ever seen.
At the risk of questioning the young man’s fortitude, I have to think facing this lineup — weak as it’s been for the last month or so — at Coors is going to be a rude awakening. His stuff can be nasty, but the thin air and the potential for his command to get funky should play in the Cubs’ favor.
First pitch is at 7:10pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Michael Busch rakes in Colorado ?️
4 Games
8-for-15
4 HR
8 RBI— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 30, 2025
