Cubs @ Brewers – Series Preview (September 3-5): TV and Game Info, Pitching Matchups, Insights
The Cubs are off to a 3-1 start on their season-long 11-game road trip. They won two of three against the playoff-contending Phillies, even beating up on ace Aaron Nola. Chicago has built a five-game cushion in NL Central with less than a month to play and now they head to Milwaukee for a showdown with the second-place Brewers.
At 77-61, the Brew Crew currently holds one of the two top spots in a tight Wild Card race. The dynamic duo of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich has kept the offense running at high gear all season. Mike Moustakas has been very good since coming over from Kansas City.
A potential danger sign lurks in the loaded Milwaukee bullpen. The failure of the starting pitchers to go deep into games is putting a lot of strain on the relief corps and the Brewers have blown late leads in each of the last three series. Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress in particular have been leaned on heavily.
Kris Bryant returned to the Cubs lineup on Saturday and got on base four times in two games. His return makes an already deep lineup even more formidable. The results were readily apparent as the team combined to score 15 runs the last two games in Philadelphia.
The Cubs’ starting pitching was also very good over the weekend. Jose Quintana, Kyle Hendricks, and Jon Lester all made quality starts. It continues a trend of good starting pitching through the month of August. Putting that together with an offense that can hang some runs on the board has the Cubs looking to push their division even further.
This series is a chance to land a big blow on the Brewers. Winning two of three would put them six back with three weeks left in the season and Milwaukee probably needs a sweep to really put pressure on Chicago. Games like this are what you wait all year to see, let the fun/torture begin.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, September 3 at 1:10 pm CT on WGN
- Tuesday, September 4 at 7:10 pm CT on NBC Sports Chicago
- Wednesday, September 5 at 7:10 pm CT on WGN
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/3 | Cole Hamels | 34 | L | 3.70 | 9-9 | 4.45 | 2.87 |
| Zach Davies | 25 | R | 5.23 | 2-5 | 5.29 | 1.82 | |
| 9/4 | Mike Montgomery | 29 | L | 3.82 | 4-4 | 3.86 | 2.03 |
| Wade Miley | 31 | L | 2.18 | 2-2 | 3.72 | 1.77 | |
| 9/5 | Jose Quintana | 29 | L | 4.21 | 11-9 | 4.59 | 2.02 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | 30 | R | 3.53 | 14-5 | 3.93 | 2.21 |
What to Watch For
- Yelich is on fire right now for the Brewers, hitting over .400 the last 10 games with seven home runs, including a grand slam on Sunday.
- Javy Baez had seven hits against the Phillies, two of which were home runs.
- Willson Contreras continues to struggle with the bat. The Cubs backstop has hit .222 the last seven games. It would be nice if he could get hot down the stretch.
