NEWSLETTER
Cubs vs Brewers — We did the good vibes thing earlier, in case you missed it. And while all that stuff is good and fair to share, let’s snap back to reality a little bit. The Cubs narrowly avoided a four-game sweep in San Francisco and are about to face two first place teams (Brewers and Phillies) in back-to-back series (with the Orioles looming not long after that).
This is a very dangerous spot in the schedule, when even one more mini-slide can be the dagger in a season that’s – let’s be honest – is probably over already. But listen, I’ll give them until the All-Star break, I guess.
So. What’s coming up. Well, despite Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, and Javier Assad all on the injured list at the moment, the Cubs are sending three relatively hot starters to the mound this weekend in Milwaukee.
Maybe they can make that matter and help the Cubs chip into Milwaukee’s NL Central lead a bit. I don’t think the NL Central is a realistic goal for the Cubs anymore — they just need to win games and focus on the WC, which is a long enough shot as it is — but I’m really sick of the Brewers and I’d just like to beat them.
Of course, Milwaukee (48-33) is coming into this series riding a four-game winning streak and a +69 run differential. They’ve also been really good against right-handed pitching this season (114 wRC+, 5th best in MLB), which makes for a couple of particularly tough matchups against Taillon and Hendricks.
On the bright side, Colin Rea’s 5.34 expected ERA sure looks a lot more beatable than his actual results (3.62 ERA). Ditto Tobias Myers (4.09 xERA vs 3.12 ERA). And while Freddy Peralta’s strikeout rate remains intimidating (he got 11 Cubs in their last matchup), he has given up more than his fair share of runs this season (4.03 ERA).
Obviously, the Brewers are good, but they still just seem so beatable to me. So beat them, Cubs. Come on. I want to be happy.
Cubs vs Brewers – Pitching Probables:
Game 1: Friday June 28 at 7:10pm CT at American Family Field
Broadcast Info: Marquee Sports Network, MLBN, 670 The Score
Game 2: Saturday, June 29 at 3:10 CT at American Family Field
Broadcast Info: Marquee Sports Network, FS1, 670 The Score
Game 3: Sunday, June 30 at 1:10 CT at American Family Field
Broadcast Info: Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
