San Diego Padres vs Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup — Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026
Final Lineups
San Diego Padres @ Chicago Cubs · Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026
Away batters have some strong history against Colin Rea. Manny Machado is 3-for-5 with a 2.000 OPS, while Jake Cronenworth is also 3-for-5 with a 1.800 OPS. Xander Bogaerts has a 1-for-2 record with a 1.000 OPS. Ty France is 1-for-5 with a .400 OPS, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is 0-for-1 in 2 PA with a .500 OPS. Jackson Merrill is hitless in 2 at-bats with a .000 OPS. Gavin Sheets, Rodolfo Durán, and Sung-Mun Song have no MLB history against Colin Rea.
Home batters have significant experience facing Walker Buehler. Michael Busch has been particularly effective, going 2-for-2 in 4 PA with a 3.500 OPS. Michael Conforto is 3-for-11 in 13 PA with a 1.203 OPS. Seiya Suzuki is 3-for-8 in 9 PA with an .819 OPS. Ian Happ is 2-for-8 in 10 PA with a .775 OPS. Alex Bregman is 1-for-4 in 5 PA with a .900 OPS. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner are both 1-for-4 and 2-for-8 respectively, each with a .500 OPS. Dansby Swanson is 2-for-13 in 14 PA with a .445 OPS. Miguel Amaya is hitless in 2 at-bats with a .000 OPS.
The home side has more familiar hitters against the opposing starter, with several batters having extensive prior plate appearances against Walker Buehler.
| # | Batter | AVG | OBP | OPS | HR | RBI | vAVG | vOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | 0.280 | 0.353 | 0.778 | 13 | 56 | 0.000 | 0.500 |
| 2 | Gavin Sheets | 0.211 | 0.313 | 0.702 | 15 | 44 | — | — |
| 3 | Manny Machado | 0.215 | 0.297 | 0.711 | 23 | 70 | 0.600 | 2.000 |
| 4 | Ty France | 0.298 | 0.353 | 0.881 | 17 | 51 | 0.200 | 0.400 |
| 5 | Jackson Merrill | 0.245 | 0.295 | 0.714 | 19 | 63 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 6 | Xander Bogaerts | 0.223 | 0.320 | 0.653 | 11 | 45 | 0.500 | 1.000 |
| 7 | Jake Cronenworth | 0.222 | 0.309 | 0.598 | 3 | 19 | 0.600 | 1.800 |
| 8 | Rodolfo Durán | 0.146 | 0.222 | 0.527 | 3 | 8 | — | — |
| 9 | Sung-Mun Song | 0.207 | 0.313 | 0.583 | 1 | 15 | — | — |
| # | Batter | AVG | OBP | OPS | HR | RBI | vAVG | vOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | 0.279 | 0.378 | 0.912 | 27 | 73 | 0.250 | 0.500 |
| 2 | Alex Bregman | 0.253 | 0.344 | 0.750 | 16 | 61 | 0.250 | 0.900 |
| 3 | Michael Busch | 0.246 | 0.354 | 0.742 | 14 | 63 | 1.000 | 3.500 |
| 4 | Seiya Suzuki | 0.273 | 0.363 | 0.849 | 21 | 73 | 0.375 | 0.819 |
| 5 | Ian Happ | 0.215 | 0.323 | 0.736 | 20 | 51 | 0.250 | 0.775 |
| 6 | Nico Hoerner | 0.262 | 0.321 | 0.685 | 7 | 56 | 0.250 | 0.500 |
| 7 | Michael Conforto | 0.230 | 0.321 | 0.764 | 9 | 27 | 0.273 | 1.203 |
| 8 | Miguel Amaya | 0.238 | 0.344 | 0.707 | 4 | 21 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 9 | Dansby Swanson | 0.216 | 0.300 | 0.704 | 18 | 66 | 0.154 | 0.445 |
San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs (2026-07-01). Walker Buehler vs Colin Rea at Wrigley Field.
Walker Buehler enters this contest with a season ERA of 3.81 and a WHIP of 1.31 across 78 innings pitched in 16 starts, demonstrating a moderate ability to limit base runners. His K/9 rate stands at 8.08, indicating a solid strikeout capability, while his BB/9 is a controlled 3.00. However, Buehler's recent trend shows an upward movement in ERA, and his quality start percentage is only 16.7%, suggesting inconsistency in deeper outings. Colin Rea, pitching for the Cubs, has a season ERA of 4.80 and a WHIP of 1.41 over 84.1 innings in 13 starts. Rea's K/9 is lower at 6.72, and his BB/9 is slightly higher at 3.31, indicating less dominance and control compared to Buehler. Similar to Buehler, Rea's ERA trend is also up, and his blow-up rate is 16.7%, suggesting a propensity for occasional high-scoring outings.
The Padres' offense has struggled this season, evidenced by a .223 batting average and a .669 OPS, scoring 330 runs. Their pitching staff, however, has maintained a respectable 3.94 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, with a K/9 of 8.36, indicating a solid bullpen and starting rotation performance overall. Conversely, the Cubs' offense presents a more potent threat with a .243 batting average and a .743 OPS, having scored 425 runs. Their pitching staff has a slightly higher ERA of 4.25 and a WHIP of 1.25, with a K/9 of 7.91, suggesting they are generally effective but can be vulnerable.
In their recent head-to-head matchups from 2025, the Padres hold a slight edge, winning three of the last six games against the Cubs. The scores in these contests have varied, with some higher-scoring affairs mixed with lower-scoring outcomes. With no total line available for this specific game, it is difficult to directly assess how the market perceives the combined offensive output, but the historical data suggests a range of scoring potential.