Chicago Cubs Lineup (3/5/26): Rea Starting, Counsell’s Kid on D-backs’ Game Roster

No one outside the ballpark will be able to see it, but there could be a really cool father-son moment at Sloan Park today. That’s because Brady Counsell, the Diamondbacks’ 10th-round pick last summer out of Kansas, will be suiting up for the visitors against his dad’s Cubs. Though the younger Counsell isn’t in the starting lineup, there’s a chance he’ll see his first professional action late in the game.

Even if that’s little more than a stunt, and even though dad joked with reporters that he’ll close his eyes and watch the video later, stuff like this is really cool. I remember being at Max Bain’s first big league spring training game and messaging his mom with video from the brief outing. This is something so few baseball players ever get the chance to do, so you know it’ll be really special for the whole Counsell family.

Other than that, the game itself doesn’t hold much interest. Certainly not enough for either Marquee or The Score to bother with it. Colin Rea will be on the mound in front of a lineup featuring mostly regulars. Michael Busch is at first, Nico Hoerner is at second, Ian Happ is in left, and Dansby Swanson is the shortstop. Michael Conforto is the DH, Carson Kelly does the catching, Matt Shaw is in right, and Kevin Alcántara takes center. Pedro Ramirez rounds things out at third.

The Diamondbacks are going with a very appropriate starter in righty Ryne Nelson. The lithe 28-year-old is making just his second start of the spring as he preps for his fourth full season in the majors. Nelson features a four-seam with tons of cut and ride that plays up even more than 96 mph due to his 6.9-foot extension. That heater was his only good pitch last season, but it was one of the most valuable offerings in the game.

He’s not a big strikeout guy and he’ll give up a lot of hard contact, so he’s got to keep filling up the zone to avoid free runners. His slider isn’t enough of a put-away pitch to keep hitters honest, and none of his secondaries made up more than 12% of his repertoire last season. If Nelson can find a way to get results from anything other than his fastball, he could take a big leap forward this season.

First pitch from Sloan is at 2:05pm CT.

Back home this afternoon. ☺️ pic.twitter.com/BdcRuis0CZ

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 5, 2026