Craig Counsell Officially Makes Big Lineup Change

Ian Happ has been in a major slump in July and unfortunately his numbers against left-handed pitching have been down all year, so Craig Counsell is now making a change at the top of the batting order. Fans were clued in on the change Friday night, when Happ sat on the bench as the New York Yankees sent out left-handed starter Carlos Rodon. Nico Hoerner hit in the leadoff spot and that will continue against left-handed pitching for the time being.

Counsell spoke to reporters before Saturday’s game in New York and talked about the change. Happ will no longer be the leadoff hitter when the Cubs face a left-handed starting pitcher. Hoerner is getting his second consecutive start in the leadoff role as the Yankees will have Max Fried on the bump for the middle game of the weekend series.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell: “I talked to Ian (Happ) and we’re going to make a change at the leadoff spot against lefties. For now, Nico (Hoerner) will lead off. He’s been productive against left-handed pitching. It’s as simple as that.”

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 12, 2025

Happ is only 2-for-32 in the month of July. Going back to June 26, Happ is slashing .078/.217/.098, in 60 plate appearances. His last home run was against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 25, which brought his season slash line to a respectable .249/.341/.422, 118 wRC+, which were pretty much in line with his numbers from the past three seasons.

But man at some point you knew Counsell had to make a change. Happ didn’t start Friday night and on Saturday he’s batting seventh. As a right-handed hitter in 2025, Happ is slashing .223/.328/.330, which comes out to a 93 wRC+. Below average, but not a killer to the team by any means. However, since the start of May, Happ has only posted a 55 wRC+ when batting from the right side, slashing .149/.260/.269 in 77 plate appearances.

As a team, the Cubs have been brutal against lefties in 2025.

Lefty starters, man…
⁰Since May 3, when the Cubs tagged Quintana for 4 ER in Milwaukee, they’ve faced 18 lefty starters (including tonight). Here’s how that’s gone:

– Shut out: 6 times
– 1 ER: 7 times
– 2 ER: 3 times
– 3 ER: 2 times

**Did exclude opener vs. DET

— Setup Man Ty (@SetupManTy) July 12, 2025

Kyle Tucker hangs in there well against lefties and Seiya Suzuki has crushed them as well since May 3, but the one guy who has excelled the most has been Hoerner. In his last 62 plate appearances facing left-handed pitching he’s hitting .339/.371/.525, a 153 wRC+ that leads the Cubs since early May.

So, we’ll see if the lineup change pays off for Counsell and the Cubs. Fried enters the matchup with a 2.27 ERA in 19 starts. The left-hander has taken a step back in his past two starts, allowing four runs in six innings against the Toronto Blue Jays and three runs in five innings in his last time out against the New York Mets.