For most of his first two years with the Chicago Cubs, Michael Busch was limited to mainly starting against right-handed pitching, and fans were upset. It was an automatic benching whenever the Cubs faced a left-handed starter, but Craig Counsell made sure to minimize Busch’s plate appearances vs. left-handed pitching. That all changed down the stretch in 2025, and Counsell publicly noted that Busch had earned every day starts in 2026 regardless of the opposing pitcher.
Well, Counsell may be changing his mind on that because after Busch was on the bench to start Sunday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Busch is on the bench again for Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez is off to another great start for the Phillies. The 29-year-old has only given up three earned runs through his first three starts of 2026, and he’s been especially tough against right-handed hitters, who are only slashing .182/.217/.182 in 23 plate appearances so far this season.
Busch came through with a clutch hit in Sunday’s 7-6 comeback win, but that’s not going to erase his early-season struggles. It hasn’t really mattered who Busch has faced through the first three weeks of the year, as the first baseman is only 7-for-52 at the plate overall without a home run. He’s 2-for-10 vs. lefties, but interestingly enough, Busch has at least shown good plate discipline with four walks and only one strikeout.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
So, this is now two straight games in which Busch will begin on the bench. We’ll see just how down Counsell is on the first baseman later this week because the Cubs are scheduled to face another left-handed starter on Wednesday, when Jesús Luzardo takes the ball for the Phillies.
Probably a smart choice by Counsell to give Busch another breather. A mental reset, if you will, and it’s a good time with the 2025 Cy Young runner-up on the mound. Including the RBI single on Sunday, Busch is only 3-for-44 in his last 13 games. That’s a slash line of .068/.160/.068, in his previous 50 plate appearances, with all three hits being singles.
No Moises Ballesteros either Monday night, so we’ll see if this continues with the rookie as well. But again, you can’t really knock Counsell stacking right-handed hitters against Sanchez. In his career, Sanchez has held left-handed hitters to a slash line of .211/.263/.277.
