Chicago Cubs Lineup (3/12/26): Busch at 1B, Swanson DH, Cabrera Starting -

"Edward Cabrera will put his perfect ERA on the line as he takes the mound for the third time this spring. We should be careful not to speak too glowingly about his performance while at the same time cautioning against fear over what Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga have done, but Cabrera looks the part. If this continues into the regular season, his starts will be must-see TV."

"On the mound for the Mariners is 26-year-old righty Emerson Hancock, who has nearly identical ERAs for this spring (4.91), last season (4.90), and for his career (4.81). More of a spot starter to this point, Hancock has a 96 mph fastball that actually serves as a secondary to his 84 mph slider. Then there's his sinker, which is thrown slightly harder than the four-seam."

"Maybe it's just because he's working on things in the Cactus League, but the slider is up to 38% of his repertoire after getting down under 15% last season. The sinker is down 15 points and the heater is up by 7-8, so my guess is that he's trying to dial in the breaking ball(s). He threw both a slider and a sweeper last year, but they had very similar shapes and only varied by around three ticks in velo."

Edward Cabrera continues to impress in spring training with a perfect ERA through three appearances, positioning himself as a potential must-watch pitcher if performance continues into the regular season. The opposing Mariners starter, 26-year-old Emerson Hancock, maintains consistent mediocre ERAs across spring training, last season, and his career at approximately 4.9. Hancock is experimenting with pitch usage, significantly increasing his slider to 38% of his repertoire while decreasing sinker usage. This adjustment aims to better separate his slider and sweeper, which previously had similar shapes and minimal velocity differentiation. Hancock's low release angle provides natural sink and induced vertical break on his fastball.

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