Chicago Cubs lineup vs. Royals: Ian Happ leads off, Kyle Tucker in RF, Ben Brown pitching

Michael McLoone - USA Today Sports

Tony Crumpton - Senior Editor - 3 hours ago

Game time: The Chicago Cubs (9-2-2) will battle the Kansas City Royals (7-4) on Thursday (7:05 p.m. CT) at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.

TV information: Marquee Sports Network (Free trial available on FuboTV)

Cubs lineup:

Ian Happ LF

Kyle Tucker RF

Seiya Suzuki DH

Michael Busch 1B

Matt Shaw 3B

Dansby Swanson SS

Pete Crow-Armstrong CF

Carson Kelly C

Jon Berti 2B

Pitching matchup: The Cubs will have righty Ben Brown (1-0, 6.33 ERA) on the mound against Cole Ragans (0-1, 14.54 ERA).

Pregame sights and sounds:

The Cubs scratched Justin Steele from tonight’s Cactus League game due to flu-like symptoms. Ben Brown will instead start against the Royals in Mesa.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) March 6, 2025

.@ihapp_1 described his 1st spring training being placed next to Jon Lester & John Lackey in the locker room 😂

Watch @thecompoundpod at 6! pic.twitter.com/d9hKLc46XZ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 6, 2025

Jake Arrieta's 66 postseason strikeouts are the most in @Cubs franchise history!

HBD, Jake 🎂🐍 pic.twitter.com/8v5YeP0alY
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 6, 2025