Ian

Happ

Happ lost a surefire homer to the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field during last week’s season opener, according to Statcast, but this time the wind worked in his favor, carrying a third-inning fly ball into the left-field seats. It was his third big fly of the season. The switch-hitting left fielder should continue to benefit from hitting in the heart of a Cubs lineup that continues to look extremely formidable in the early stages of the year.

It’s the farthest any ball has been pushed by the wind in the three years that Weather Applied has been tracking such things. Happ’s ninth-inning fly off the Nationals’ Cionel Pérez would have been projected at 435 feet under neutral conditions, but with about 30 mph of wind working against it, James Wood caught in shy of the warning track.

Happ’s homer was the second of the season, and it came in the third inning off Chad Patrick. The outfielder’s roundtripper came right after an Alex Bregman homer, and the two will likely be hitting near each other to open the regular season. Happ will once again be a solid — if flawed — fantasy option in 2026, because that’s what he’s been for seemingly the last 40 years.

It looks like the Cubs are going to go with Michael Busch, Alex Bergman and then Happ at the top of their lineup, which is pretty good news for Happ. After he was initially replaced in the leadoff spot last year, Happ sometimes hit as low as sixth and seventh. That could wind up happening again if some guys behind him get hot, but Happ’s steadiness is appreciated; he has a career 116 OPS+ and has been at 117, 118, 120 and 120 the last four years.

Both said they’d be open to the possibility. Suzuki is entering the final year of a five-year, $85 million pact he signed after coming over from Japan. Happ signed a surprisingly modest three-year, $61 million extension in April 2023, which was about five months before he would have been eligible for free agency for the first time. The Cubs should have interest in retaining both, but they do potentially have Kevin Alcántara ready to take over for one of the two next year.

Crow-Armstong (center field), Ian Happ (left field) and Nico Hoerner (second base) made it three Gold Glove winners for the Cubs. Also chosen were Logan Webb (pitcher), Patrick Bailey (catcher), Matt Olson (first base), Ke’Bryan Hayes (third base), Masyn Winn (shortstop), Fernando Tatis Jr. (right field) and Javier Sanoja (utilityman). Those seem like all of the right choices for the most part, though we’re once again seeing there’s just no reason for there to be a utilityman Gold Glove handed out every year.

Happ snapped out of a prolonged postseason slump with a no-doubter to right field against Brewers ace Freddy Peralta with two outs in the opening frame to give the Cubs an early advantage. He had been 4-for-36 against Peralta in his career prior to the round-tripper. It was one of the biggest moments of his career and set the tone for a potential series-turning victory as Chicago forces a winner-take-all Game 5 showdown on Saturday in Milwaukee after dropping the first two contests of the best-of-five series.

Chicago will attempt to stave off elimination for the second straight contest at Wrigley Field by rolling out the exact same lineup, which features Busch in the leadoff spot to face Brewers ace Freddy Peralta. The 27-year-old slugger blasted a solo homer — his third postseason round-tripper — in the Cubs’ pivotal Game 3 win. Here’s the full lineup: Busch (1B), Nico Hoerner (2B), Kyle Tucker (DH), Seiya Suzuki (RF), Ian Happ (LF), Carson Kelly (C), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF), Dansby Swanson (SS) and Matt Shaw (3B).

Cubs manager Craig Counsell will shake things up with veteran Justin Turner leading off, while Michael Busch starts on the bench. Lefty opener Aaron Ashby will take the ball for Milwaukee to kick off the contest before Quinn Priester enters in a bulk relief role. Here’s the full lineup: Turner (1B), Nico Hoerner (2B), Kyle Tucker (DH), Seiya Suzuki (RF), Ian Happ (LF), Carson Kelly (C), Pete Crow-Armstring (CF), Dansby Swanson (SS) and Matt Shaw (3B).

Suzuki has been bumped up to the cleanup spot to face Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, with Ian Happ moved down a couple spots, after going 3-for-11 with one homer and a pair of doubles in Chicago’s Wild Card Series victory over San Diego. The 31-year-old corner outfielder finished the season with an impressive power surge and is clearly building some momentum heading into fantasy drafts next spring. Here’s the full lineup: Michael Busch (1B), Nico Hoerner (2B), Kyle Tucker (DH), Suzuki (RF), Happ (LF), Carson Kelly (C), Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF), Dansby Swanson (SS) and Matt Shaw (3B).