What's happening, MLB fans? Welcome to what may end up being the series that decides the National League Central division! The Milwaukee Brewers will head to Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs for a 5-game series starting Monday, August 18.
As Ernie Banks would say, "Let's play two." A doubleheader will take place on Monday, and Brewers ace Freddy Peralta will take on Cubs youngster Cade Horton in the opening game. Neither team has named a starter for Game 2, so keep an eye on the news wire for that info.
Which team has the edge in this series? I'll give out some thoughts below before giving out a best bet to give us some nice MLB action for this week. Best of luck, my friends!
I'm going to give the clear edge to Milwaukee in the starting pitching category in this series. The Brew Crew has the edge in all four games where we know who the starting pitchers will be. Even with Game 2 remaining a mystery, I feel very confident in this Milwaukee starting rotation.
Freddy Peralta will be on the mound for the Brewers in Game 1, and he's been his usual dominant self so far this year. The big righty has a K-rate of 26.1% and a hard-hit rate that ranks in the 91st percentile. He also has an expected batting average against of just .222, so the Cubs hitters could have a difficult time getting to him on Monday afternoon.
Chicago will counter with Cade Horton in Game 1 against Milwaukee. The 23-year-old rookie has looked fantastic so far in 2025. Horton has the uncanny ability to use his changeup and sinker at any time for strikes.
Game 3 looks like another edge for the Brewers, as I rate Brandon Woodruff as the 9th-best pitcher in the game this season (even with his small sample size). The 32-year-old righty has quietly established himself as a solid starter over the last few seasons, even after missing all of 2024 due to injury. The Cubs will counter with Matthew Boyd, who has looked very good. However, I still have Boyd several notches below Woodruff in my starting pitcher power ratings.
Game 4 pits young flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski against Colin Rea in yet another battle of two starters that clearly favors Milwaukee. The Game 5 finale will feature Brewers righty Quinn Preister against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga. That one is more of a toss-up, but I'd still take Priester since Imanaga hasn't looked as sharp this season.
Both of these teams can put up runs in bunches, and the Cubs have the better overall lineup if you're looking at full-season metrics. That being said, the Brewers have been scorching hot lately at the dish, while the Cubbies have been ice-cold.
Milwaukee has won 14 of its last 15 games, mainly because its offense has been knocking the proverbial cover off the ball during that span. This team has a knack for playing small ball, which is kind of refreshing to see during this current era of baseball that's obsessed with home runs.
The Brewers rank 2nd in WRC+ over the last 2 weeks and over the last month. On the other hand, the Cubs rank just 29th in WRC+ over the last 14 days and 25th over the last month. That's a clear edge in favor of Milwaukee, even though some experts are predicting some regression from their lineup in the near future.
MIL at CHC- 2:20 PM and 8:05 PM EDT (Mon), 8:05 PM EDT (Tue), 8:05 PM EDT (Wed), 2:20 PM EDT (Thu)
This price implies that this series will be pretty even. I don't agree with that, as my power ratings put Milwaukee as the 3rd-best team in baseball and Chicago as the 6th-best team. That's not an insanely huge edge by any means, but I just can't ignore the depth of the Brewers' starting rotation.
The bullpens are pretty much even, with the Cubs having a slight edge over the Brewers in K minus BB rate since the trade deadline. Bringing in Taylor Rogers has paid off well for Chicago, and he could be a key factor in this series.
All in all, this should be a fun series to watch. However, with the Brewers' insanely hot current form and deep pitching staff, I'm placing a one-unit bet on them to take this 5-game series. Let's go, Beer Makers!