Mariners vs. Cubs Game Preview 6/20: Cubs Open Three-Game Tilt Against Mariners
CHICAGO, IL - After splitting a shortened series against the Brewers, the Cubs now open the final stretch of their homestand against the Seattle Mariners. Matthew Boyd (6–3) will take the mound for Chicago and face off against right-hander George Kirby (1–3).
Craig Counsell submitted the following lineup: LF Ian Happ will lead off, followed by RF Kyle Tucker and DH Seiya Suzuki. CF Pete Crow-Armstrong will bat fourth, followed by SS Dansby Swanson and 1B Michael Busch. 2B Nico Hoerner, 3B Matt Shaw, and C Reese McGuire will cap off the lineup.
George Kirby has only five starts to his name in 2025 due to injury, so I feel his stats right now don’t tell the entire story. The young right-hander has a 5.96 ERA, but that’s mostly weighted because of his first two starts. Kirby has a five-pitch arsenal: a four-seamer (32%), sinker (25%), slider (22%), curveball (13%), and a splitter (9%).
Kirby’s fastball averages around 95 mph, which is why he retires most batters on strikeouts. On top of that, he also has a very low walk rate, only issuing free passes around 6.4% of the time. It will be interesting to see how Cubs batters are able to work the count against the right-hander.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson countered with the following lineup: SS J.P. Crawford will lead off, followed by CF Julio Rodriguez and C Cal Raleigh. LF Randy Arozarena will bat cleanup, followed by DH Mitch Garver and 1B Donovan Solano. RF Dylan Moore, 3B Ben Williamson, and 2B Cole Young will round out the order for the Mariners.
Matthew Boyd is coming off another quality start where he pitched six innings, allowing only one run on one hit. He continues to be a productive starter in the Chicago rotation. However, that start came against the Pittsburgh Pirates, today he is facing a Mariner lineup that has an MVP candidate in the middle of it. Will certainly be interesting to see how he fares today.
It is officially the first day of summer, and the Cubs have a solid chance to kick off their summer with a win today. First pitch at 1:20 p.m. Central Time.