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The current plan is for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox to play a doubleheader on Friday, and hope to squeeze out the final game of their respective regular seasons on Saturday. A forecasted nor'easter is what forced Major League Baseball to respond with the schedule change, but it's one that puts the Cubs in a rough spot.
In most cases, when a games are postponed due to weather, it is pushed back. It almost never is pushed up. Such a change causes a strain on a team's pitching staff, considering the need to potentially cover 27 innings of baseball over the course of a two-day stretch. While this change does give the Cubs an extra off day ahead of the NL Wild Card series next Tuesday, Craig Counsell may not be in a position to take advantage of the additional rest.
Beyond vying for home-field advantage in the Wild Card round, the Cubs are entering Thursday still having yet to clinch their spot in the postseason. Their magic number is one, so it still feels like a virtual lock, but with the Wild Card seeding likely coming down to this weekend, Counsell is now forced to pitch a starting pitcher on short rest.
Re this weekend: Craig Counsell points out the detriment to MOVING up games as it relates to their pitching. Usually, it’s the other way around and there’s an extra day off. Cubs in a quandary for Saturday’s game.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) September 23, 2026
Friday doubleheader could ruin Cubs' ideal playoff starting rotation
The current plan is for Clay Holmes and David Peterson to start the games on Friday, and Shota Imanaga is expected to pitch on short rest to close out the regular season. That effectively rules out all three of those pitchers as options for Game 1 of the Wild Card series next Tuesday.
Justin Steele will likely factor into the pitching plans for the Cubs on Friday or Saturday, and that should help Counsell cover the required innings. Steele's return to the Cubs this season was always going to be viewed as a bonus, but in this case, it may be a lever that the team is fortunate to be able to pull this weekend.
In a perfect world, Kevin Gausman is lined up to get the start for the Cubs in Game 1 next week. It may not be a perfect world, considering Gausman may have suffered a shoulder injury on Wednesday night. If it's not Gausman, then Matthew Boyd would be the next logical option. The hope is that Holmes would be ready for a Game 3 start next Thursday.
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