Cubs' NLDS Game 3 lineup says everything about Craig Counsell's mindset

Run prevention has been the theme of the Chicago Cubs' 2025 season, and now, facing an elimination game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS, Craig Counsell is not backing away from that ideology. The Cubs' lineup for Wednesday night has been revealed, and it's a familiar look with the season on the line.

Craig Counsell won’t flinch as Cubs reveal familiar Game 3 lineup

Facing a win-or-go-home situation, now wasn't going to be the time when Counsell took a drastic measure with his lineup. The lack of offense has defined the Cubs' playoff run, but the issue is that it would have been a bold move to take one of Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, or Kyle Tucker out of the lineup. In a scenario where Kyle Tucker was healthy and capable of playing right field, then there is an argument to be made that Seiya Suzuki could start in left field with Moises Ballesteros serving as the designated hitter. Instead, given Tucker's injury, Ballesteros has been withering away on the bench as the Cubs have struggled to score runs.

The only real change that the Chicago Cubs may have considered was taking rookie third baseman Matt Shaw out of the lineup. Shaw's defense at third base is what has kept him at third base during the playoffs, but he has yet to collect a hit in 14 plate appearances. To open the game, given the struggles, it would have made sense to give Willi Castro a look at third, if not for just offering a different look.

In his first two years as the Cubs manager, Counsell has proven to rely on his regulars. Outside of using Justin Turner against a left-handed opener on Saturday, the Cubs' bench has mostly been dormant during the playoffs. Of course, outside of Ballesteros, the construction of the Cubs' bench has been questionable all season. In other words, Counsell shouldn't shoulder the blame for what has plagued the Cubs during the playoffs.