August 7, 2026 · AL Cent
Chicago Cubs at Kansas City Royals
@
Probable starters
AWAY
TBD
HOME · KC
Lineups
Lineups are usually announced ~90 minutes before first pitch. Check back soon.
Hitter season stats
Season-to-date lines for each hitter in the projected lineup, with a Marcel projection (Proj OPS). Season columns are 2026 to date; Proj is a forward-looking estimate, not a result.
AWAY · CHC Projected · top 9 by AB
| BATTER | 2026 SEASON | PROJ OPS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | RBI | K | ||
| 1 Nico Hoerner 2B · R | .260 | .321 | .363 | .684 | 7 | 54 | 45 | .723 |
| 2 Alex Bregman 3B · R | .248 | .338 | .384 | .722 | 12 | 50 | 83 | .738 |
| 3 Michael Busch 1B · L | .241 | .352 | .390 | .742 | 14 | 63 | 117 | .748 |
| 4 Pete Crow-Armstrong CF · L | .289 | .386 | .550 | .936 | 26 | 69 | 136 | .744 |
| 5 Ian Happ LF · S | .211 | .323 | .404 | .727 | 18 | 48 | 148 | .735 |
| 6 Dansby Swanson SS · R | .217 | .294 | .406 | .700 | 17 | 63 | 101 | .713 |
| 7 Seiya Suzuki RF · R | .270 | .364 | .476 | .840 | 19 | 64 | 111 | .749 |
| 8 Carson Kelly C · R | .265 | .352 | .381 | .733 | 7 | 40 | 50 | .712 |
| 9 Michael Conforto DH · L | .227 | .323 | .448 | .771 | 9 | 24 | 58 | .706 |
HOME · KC Projected · top 9 by AB
| BATTER | 2026 SEASON | PROJ OPS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | RBI | K | ||
| 1 Salvador Perez DH · R | .215 | .263 | .376 | .639 | 16 | 48 | 93 | .713 |
| 2 Jac Caglianone RF · L | .254 | .309 | .453 | .762 | 18 | 45 | 112 | .732 |
| 3 Bobby Witt Jr. SS · R | .286 | .356 | .457 | .813 | 13 | 41 | 74 | .792 |
| 4 Carter Jensen C · L | .228 | .301 | .415 | .716 | 15 | 54 | 127 | .751 |
| 5 Isaac Collins LF · S | .238 | .337 | .366 | .703 | 6 | 34 | 86 | .726 |
| 6 Michael Massey 2B · L | .263 | .297 | .426 | .723 | 9 | 39 | 53 | .711 |
| 7 Nick Loftin 3B · R | .249 | .332 | .399 | .731 | 5 | 35 | 38 | .717 |
| 8 Kyle Isbel CF · L | .243 | .293 | .347 | .640 | 3 | 13 | 42 | .705 |
| 9 Starling Marte RF · R | .255 | .311 | .314 | .625 | 1 | 12 | 37 | .700 |
Pitcher vs. lineup projection
Projected expected wOBA for each probable starter against the opposing lineup, by batting order. A season-to-date matchup read — forward-looking, not a result.
-
1 NH Nico Hoerner RHB .318
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Nico Hoerner
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .323 xwOBA over 249 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .318 xwOBA over 396 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .294 xwOBA over 150 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .330 xwOBA over 535 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .333 xwOBA over 22 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
2 AB Alex Bregman RHB .324
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Alex Bregman
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .301 xwOBA over 242 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .340 xwOBA over 381 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .342 xwOBA over 128 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .326 xwOBA over 518 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .304 xwOBA over 20 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
3 MB Michael Busch LHB .336
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Michael Busch
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .290 xwOBA over 220 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .377 xwOBA over 214 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .318 xwOBA over 184 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .370 xwOBA over 550 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .334 xwOBA over 20 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
4 PC Pete Crow-Armstrong LHB .332
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Pete Crow-Armstrong
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .322 xwOBA over 195 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .356 xwOBA over 188 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .325 xwOBA over 192 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .320 xwOBA over 459 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .348 xwOBA over 37 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
-
5 IH Ian Happ SH .323
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Ian Happ
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .311 xwOBA over 185 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .384 xwOBA over 205 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .259 xwOBA over 290 BIP — a clear edge for the pitcher.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .338 xwOBA over 586 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .321 xwOBA over 37 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
6 DS Dansby Swanson RHB .310
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Dansby Swanson
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .263 xwOBA over 264 BIP — a clear edge for the pitcher.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .356 xwOBA over 302 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .285 xwOBA over 165 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .346 xwOBA over 475 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .307 xwOBA over 18 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
7 SS Seiya Suzuki RHB .349
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Seiya Suzuki
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .299 xwOBA over 274 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .404 xwOBA over 320 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .346 xwOBA over 137 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .365 xwOBA over 446 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .322 xwOBA over 22 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
8 CK Carson Kelly RHB .318
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Carson Kelly
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .308 xwOBA over 166 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .346 xwOBA over 206 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .306 xwOBA over 86 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .316 xwOBA over 310 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .316 xwOBA over 9 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
-
9 MC Michael Conforto LHB .320
Pitch-by-pitch projection vs. Michael Conforto
- Slider (27% usage) projects to .305 xwOBA over 126 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Sinker (23% usage) projects to .362 xwOBA over 162 BIP — a meaningful edge for the batter.
- Changeup (21% usage) projects to .295 xwOBA over 164 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Four-Seam Fastball (21% usage) projects to .333 xwOBA over 417 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
- Knuckle Curve (8% usage) projects to .288 xwOBA over 20 BIP — a roughly even matchup.
Manager comparison
AWAY · CHC
Lineup 3.3 R
Bunts 0.7 R
IBBs 0.9 R
HOME · KC
Lineup 3.7 R
Bunts 2.4 R
IBBs 1.8 R
Bullpen availability
AWAY · CHC
- Available 5
- Limited 0
- Rest required 0
- Inactive 0
HOME · KC
- Available 6
- Limited 3
- Rest required 0
- Inactive 0
Recent form
AWAY · CHC
7-3
W4
+20 run diff
WWWWLWLWLW
HOME · KC
4-6
L1
-6 run diff
LWWLLLLWLW
Pitching & bullpen preview
Probable starters and each bullpen's availability load in the sections above — the Cubs and Royals staffs going in.
Once the game ends, a full pitching and bullpen breakdown appears here: starter lines, the relief sequence and each arm's role, pitch counts, and where the game turned.
Keep reading
How RunsLeft analyzes games
Standard content on this page comes from the MLB Stats API. The pitching analysis describes how the game was pitched — the starter's line, the bullpen sequence and each arm's role (opener, bulk, setup, closer), pitch counts as a fatigue signal, and the leverage context where the game turned. Reliever roles are inferred from how the manager used each arm up to that date. It describes structure and constraints; it does not grade the manager.