On The Horizon: Cubs vs. Brewers series preview

The Cubs have been on the road for a week and the trip must be considered a success, with a 5-2 record against the Tigers and Pirates.

They’re home for just this one series against the Brewers, a key three-game set, then head on the road again to play the Reds in an important four-game series. So I guess you could say this is the most important week for the Chicago Cubs in four years.

For more on the Brewers, here’s Harrison Freuck, manager of our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball.

The Brewers head into a big series against the Cubs as the hottest team in baseball. Milwaukee has won eight straight, including sweeps over the Rangers, Twins and Padres. The trio of sweeps continue a stretch of series sweeps in recent weeks, as Milwaukee also swept the White Sox prior to being swept by the Dodgers last week.

Milwaukee’s biggest trade deadline additions came on offense, adding Carlos Santana and Mark Canha to help shore up some of the issues. After a tough start to the season, Willy Adames has found his offensive stroke, and Tyrone Taylor has also found his footing in August.

On the mound, the return of Brandon Woodruff has been a major help to an injury-prone pitching staff, and Freddy Peralta is also making a case for an NL Pitcher of the Month Award (4-0, 1.82 ERA, 37 strikeouts across 24⅔ innings in August) after Corbin Burnes won the award in July. Devin Williams still carries the bullpen, but rookie righthander Abner Uribe has impressed with a sterling 0.96 ERA in his first 18 career appearances.

Given Milwaukee’s recent success on both sides of the ball, I’ll take the Brewers to win two of three to close out the month of August.

Fun fact

The Cubs are 211-213 in all games vs. the Brewers. At home, they are 110-103.

In games against the Brewers played from the final week of August to the end of the season, the Cubs are 59-58, including 30-28 at home But since 2016, in those late-season games, the Cubs are just 13-23 overall and a mere 3-11 at home:

2016: 1-3 (outscored 23-13)
2017: 0-3 (outscored 20-3)
2018: 1-3 (outscored 11-7)
2019: 1-2 (each team scored 7)

The teams have not met again this late in the season at Wrigley Field until today. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Jameson Taillon, RHP (7-8, 5.60 ERA, 1.349 WHIP, 4.63 FIP) vs. Wade Miley, LHP (6-3, 3.18 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, 4.54 FIP)

Tuesday: Justin Steele, LHP (14-3, 2.80 ERA, 1.174 WHIP, 3.18 FIP) vs. Corbin Burnes, RHP (9-6, 3.65 ERA, 1.076 WHIP, 4.00 FIP)

Wednesday: Kyle Hendricks, RHP (5-7, 3.80 ERA, 1.141 WHIP, 3.97 FIP) vs. Brandon Woodruff, RHP (3-1, 2.65 ERA, 0.882 WHIP, 4.41 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Monday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, TBS (outside the Cubs and Brewers market territories).

Wednesday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

Harrison Freuck says the Brewers will win two of three. Granted that Milwaukee is the hottest team in baseball right now, but the Cubs aren’t far behind — and the Brewers are 16-7 in August, while the Cubs are 16-8.

The Brewers have won eight straight, including a sweep of the Rangers in Texas, but before that they got swept by the Dodgers in L.A.

The Cubs will get good enough pitching to win two of three and pick up a game in the division race.

Up next

The Cubs head to Cincinnati for a four-game series which begins Friday with a split doubleheader, the day game a makeup for a rainout in April.

Read more