3 Things To Know for the Chicago Cubs Opening Day Game vs. Washington Nationals
Hello there, fellow baseball fans, we’ve made it back to another Opening Day. The Chicago Cubs are beginning the season at home against the Washington Nationals with a pitching matchup featuring Matthew Boyd vs. Cade Cavalli.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell revealed the team’s Opening Day lineup, and although there are obviously a few changes from last October, he followed much of the same strategy. Michael Busch is leading off, while Matt Shaw gets the start in right field, where he’s filling in for Seiya Suzuki. Similar to the team’s batting order throughout the 2025 postseason, Counsell is once again sticking close to alternating left-handed and right-handed batters 1-9.
We’ll see how different the starting nine looks once Suzuki returns from the injured list.
Here are three things to know about the Cubs’ Opening Day game against the Nationals.
Weather Factor
It’s March, it’s Chicago, the wind is going to play a factor and this one should help out the pitchers at Wrigley Field.
Matthew Boyd had an All-Star 2025 season in his first year with the Cubs, and he was especially great pitching at Wrigley Field. The lefty only had one blowup at Wrigley Field in April, when some bad defense led to Boyd giving up six runs on 10 hits, including two home runs. However, only three of those were earned. Overall, Boyd started 15 games at home, where he posted a 2.51 ERA, with a 23.2 K%.
We’ll also see how Shaw looks in right field at Wrigley Field. He prepared for the new role in spring training, and it’s still a work in progress, so adding those crazy Wrigley winds will only make it more challenging for Shaw.
No one on the Cubs has ever faced Cade Cavalli during his MLB career. The Nationals’ Opening Day starter made his MLB debut back in 2022, but Tommy John surgery and his recovery from the elbow procedure delyed his return to the big leagues until last August.
Cavalli made 10 starts with the Nationals in 2025, posting a few strong outings, finishing with a 4.25 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 48.2 innings.
Boyd started twice against the Nationals last season and pitched well, as the lefty tossed 14.1 innings, while giving up four total earned runs, two in each start. However, Boyd was the tough-luck loser in both games, as the Cubs’ offense only scored one run for him.
Watch Out For These Guys
In September, Boyd threw seven innings against the Nationals, and although he allowed only two runs, the Cubs lost 2-1. The difference was Daylen Lile’s solo home run in the fourth inning.
Lile, a left-handed hitting outfielder, had a solid rookie year with the Nationals in 2025, as he had an .845 OPS across 351 plate appearances. He slashed .299/.347/.498, with nine home runs and 15 doubles, and, although he only played in 91 games, he had 11 triples, tied for fifth-most in MLB.
Nationals’ shortstop CJ Abrams is 2-for-7, with a pair of doubles against Boyd, and although James Wood only went 1-for-6 against Boyd last year, he’s always a threat at the plate. The left-handed slugger hit 31 home runs in 2025 and had a .825 OPS, while still producing at the same clip against left-handed pitching.
Best Matchups vs. Cade Cavalli
Michael Busch had a .906 OPS and hit 30 home runs against right-handed pitchers in 2025, while Pete Crow-Armstrong also feasted on righties to the tune of an .838 OPS. However, Cavalli was actually a lot better facing left-handed batters in 2025, compared to righties.
Cade Cavalli Splits
vs. RHH: .381/.442/.548, 3 HR, 6.11 ERA, 13.7 K%, 7.4 BB%
vs. LHH: .221/.279/.372, 4 HR, 3.19 ERA, 21.8 K%, 6.5 BB%
The right-handed pitcher features a 97 mph fastball and a curveball that he used 30% of the time with the Nationals in 2025. He’ll also use a sinker that’s in the upper 90s, while sprinkling in a changeup and a cutter.
Dansby Swanson is a good fastball hitter, so he can catch up to Cavalli’s velocity to potentially create damage at Wrigley Field today. Busch and Crow-Armstrong remain strong candidates to produce and jump on a mistake, while Nico Hoerner’s high contact rate makes him a candidate to get a few knocks off Washington’s starter.