After Michael King shut out the Chicago Cubs in Game 1, Craig Counsell made one change to the starting lineup for Game 2 on Wednesday night. Alex Bregman is back at DH, but this time rookie Pedro Ramirez won’t start at third base. Instead, Counsell is going to Matt Shaw at the hot corner as the Cubs face elimination at Petco Park.
Ramirez, like most of the Cubs lineup on Tuesday, looked bad against the Padres. However, the rookie infielder has been struggling since the start of September, batting .203 in the final month of the regular season. His rookie campaign ended with poor numbers against right-handed pitching, as Ramirez recorded a slash line of .237/.298/.364 versus righties.
As for Shaw, he’s done most of his damage throughout his young career facing left-handed pitchers. In 2026, Shaw was limited to 104 plate appearances vs. right-handed pitchers, and he struggled, going 18-for-90, posting a 79 wRC+ with a slash line of .200/.284/.356 and three home runs. He returned from the injured list in late August, and since then the right-handed batter has posted a .209/.340/.395 slash line in 55 plate appearances. That includes going 3-for-21 against righties.
Shaw is 1-for-4 in his career against Nick Pivetta, the Padres’ Game 2 starter. Other than the switch at third base, the Cubs lineup is the same as Tuesday night.
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Kevin Gausman is starting on the mound for the Cubs, but he’s not feeling 100% healthy after banging up his left shoulder last week at Wrigley Field against the Miami Marlins. It’ll be all hands on deck for the Cubs, who are trying to overcome enormous odds in this best-of-three series. Teams who win Game 1 of the Wild Card since 2022 are 15-1 in the opening round of the postseason.
