The Milwaukee Brewers are set to face off with the Chicago Cubs in a three-game set beginning Monday evening at American Family Field, as the two teams will emerge from the series with a leader in the NL Central. Heading into the series, each team sits at 62-43 on the season, comfortably ahead of the Cincinnati Reds in second place. Even so, winning the division will mean the difference between a potential top-two seed (and playoff bye) and a Wild Card spot.

Milwaukee, which won 11 straight before the Mariners snapped the streak on Tuesday, is coming off a series loss to the Marlins, though they did salvage Sunday’s series finale with a comeback, walk-off win. On the other side, the Cubs have been playing consistent, if underwhelming, baseball in July, with a 13-8 record in the month. They just took two of three from the White Sox.

Milwaukee’s injured list includes LHP Nestor Cortes (elbow), 1B/OF Jake Bauers (shoulder), 1B Rhys Hoskins (thumb), and LHP Robert Gasser (Tommy John surgery). All three are expected to return before the end of August, with Cortes the closest to returning as he’s already made multiple rehab appearances. Reliever Rob Zastryzny could also return in the coming week, if the Brewers opt to add another lefty to the bullpen (or replace one of the already-present lefties).

The Cubs’ injured list includes RHPs Porter Hodge (shoulder), Javier Assad (oblique), Jameson Taillon (calf), and Eli Morgan (elbow), and catcher Miguel Amaya (oblique). Morgan’s return is TBD as he’s been out since mid-April, while the other four could all make their returns before the end of August.

Christian Yelich remains in the lead with 19 homers for Milwaukee, followed by Jackson Chourio at 17 long balls. Chourio is also on a 20-game hitting streak as he’s now hitting .276/.308/.472 for the season. Sal Frelick returned from a short IL stint over the weekend, and he joins Brice Turang, Isaac Collins, William Contreras, Blake Perkins, Caleb Durbin, Joey Ortiz, and Andrew Vaughn on what is now a fairly balanced attack for the Crew. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .250/.324/.384 (.708 OPS ranks 19th), with 98 homers (tied for 24th), 497 runs scored (eighth), and 120 steals (third).

Pete Crow-Armstrong is on the verge of a 30-30 season as the calendar nears August, as he has 27 homers and 29 steals this year. Seiya Suzuki adds 26 homers, while Michael Busch (20), Kyle Tucker (18), and Dansby Swanson (16) also provide plenty of pop. The Cubs also have plenty of speed, as Tucker has 23 steals, Nico Hoerner has 19 steals, and rookie Matt Shaw has 14 steals. Ian Happ, Carson Kelly, and Reese McGuire round out the offense. As a team, the Cubs are hitting .255/.325/.444 (.769 OPS ranks third), with 155 homers (third), 553 runs scored (second), and 121 steals (second).

Abner Uribe still leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with 50 appearances and 60 strikeouts over 50 1⁄3 innings, while also sporting a 2.15 ERA. Trevor Megill is 23-for-26 in save opportunities with a 2.21 ERA and 44 strikeouts, while Jared Koenig (3.77 ERA, 40 Ks), Grant Anderson (2.98 ERA, 55 Ks), Nick Mears (2.95 ERA, 34 Ks), Aaron Ashby (1.98 ERA, 31 Ks), DL Hall (2.00 ERA, 18 Ks), and Tobias Myers (4.30 ERA, 19 Ks) round out the group. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.58 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.33 starter ERA (second) and a 3.90 reliever ERA (15th). They’ve struck out 909 batters (eighth) over 933 1⁄3 innings.

Caleb Thielbar leads Chicago’s bullpen with 45 appearances, striking out 38 with a 2.06 ERA across 39 1⁄3 innings. Brad Keller (3.00 ERA, 44 Ks), Ryan Pressly (3.66 ERA, five saves, 26 Ks), Daniel Palencia (1.43 ERA, 14 saves, 41 Ks), Ryan Brasier (2.21 ERA, 17 Ks), and Drew Pomeranz (2.17 ERA, 31 Ks) round out the “winning” bullpen. Chris Flexen and Brooks Kriske round out the group. As a staff, the Cubs have a 3.90 team ERA (15th), including a 3.96 starter ERA (14th) and a 3.83 reliever ERA (14th). They’ve struck out 783 batters (27th) over 935 2⁄3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Monday, July 28 @ 6:40 p.m.: Jacob Misiorowski (2.45 ERA, 3.36 FIP) vs. Matthew Boyd (2.20 ERA, 3.10 FIP)

Misiorowski has been nothing short of great to begin his career, with just eight runs allowed (five of which came in a single outing) across 29 1⁄3 innings while striking out 40. Due to him having never pitched a full season in a starting role, the Brewers limited his pitch count in his last outing against the Mariners, as he went 3 2⁄3 innings with no runs allowed on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts, throwing just 64 pitches in what ended up a 1-0 loss. This is his first career start against the Cubs.

Boyd, 34, is having the best season of his career in his first year with the Cubs, as he has a 2.20 ERA, 3.10 FIP, and 108 strikeouts over 118 2⁄3 innings. He’s just one strikeout away from 1,000 for his career. An All-Star this year, he was actually replaced by Miz on the roster (remember that?). He’s won each of his last five starts, including no runs allowed over his last three starts spanning 20 innings against the Cardinals, Yankees, and Royals. He’s made three career starts against Milwaukee, all while with the Tigers, with a 9.95 ERA and 14 strikeouts across 12 2⁄3 innings.

Tuesday, July 29 @ 6:40 p.m.: Quinn Priester (3.28 ERA, 3.84 FIP) vs. Colin Rea (4.06 ERA, 4.96 FIP)

Through 19 outings (14 starts) with Milwaukee, Priester has a solid 3.28 ERA, 3.84 FIP, and 86 strikeouts over 101 2⁄3 innings. He’s won eight consecutive decisions, and the Brewers have won each of the last 10 games he’s appeared in, dating back to late May. He went seven innings against the Mariners in his last start, allowing two runs on six hits and a pair of walks with six strikeouts. He’s struggled against the Cubs in both of his two previous outings against them, including one back in May this year; over 10 1⁄3 total innings, he’s allowed 11 runs and struck out six.

After a fairly strong start to the season, Rea has regressed into the player most Brewers fans probably remember from his three seasons with Milwaukee. He’s made 21 appearances this year (17 starts), with a 4.06 ERA, 4.96 FIP, and 73 strikeouts over 102 innings. He got hit hard in his last start against the Royals, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits, including three homers, with three strikeouts. Rea has just one career appearance against Milwaukee, which came back in 2020 while also with the Cubs. He allowed three runs and struck out none over 3 1⁄3 innings in that one.

Wednesday, July 30 @ 1:10 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.81 ERA, 3.66 FIP) vs. Shota Imanaga (3.12 ERA, 4.70 FIP)

Peralta is enjoying one of the best years of his career, earning his second All-Star selection as he looks to be flirting with his third consecutive season of 200-plus strikeouts. Over 22 starts, he has a 2.81 ERA, 3.66 FIP, and 131 strikeouts across 121 2⁄3 innings. He took a no-decision in his last start after winning each of his previous seven starts, allowing just one run and striking out nine over five innings in Friday’s loss to the Marlins. A familiar face for the Cubs, Peralta has made 20 career appearances (15 starts) against Chicago, with a 3.07 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 88 innings. That includes a pair of starts against them this year, when he went 11 total innings with three runs allowed and 13 strikeouts.

Imanaga, in his second MLB season, has slightly worse numbers from his rookie year in 2024, as he sports a 3.12 ERA, 4.70 FIP, and 55 strikeouts over 78 innings. He took a loss in his last start against the White Sox, getting beat up for seven runs on 12 hits with two strikeouts over just three innings. In two career starts against Milwaukee, he’s 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA and five strikeouts over 10 innings.

How to Watch

Monday, July 28: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network

Tuesday, July 29: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, FOX 6 in Milwaukee, and other local over-the-air stations across Wisconsin (see more details here), and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network

Wednesday, July 30: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network

Prediction

This should be a fun series as both teams vie for the top spot in the NL Central heading into August. I’ll take the Brewers to sneak away with two of three solely due to the pitching matchups.