The Cubs didn’t just roll past the Brewers in the series opener - they flattened them. Now they’re trying to do it again, and the lineup for Game 2 comes with one especially notable wrinkle.
Chicago is running back a mostly familiar group after that 17-3 outburst, the one that included a franchise-record nine home runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong leads off in center, followed by Seiya Suzuki in right and Alex Bregman at third. Tyrone Taylor stays in left, Nico Hoerner hits fifth, Michael Busch is at first, Carson Kelly catches again, and Matt Shaw gets another look at second.
The big change is at designated hitter, where BJ Murray Jr. is making his debut after being called up with September roster expansion. The switch-hitter goes right into the lineup after spending the season putting up similar production in Triple-A against both righties and lefties. That kind of immediate opportunity isn’t exactly Craig Counsell’s usual style, which makes the move stand out even more.
Murray also brings a little more seasoning than your typical September call-up. He’s 26, was drafted in 2021, and has worked his way up to 19th on the Cubs’ prospect rankings.
Milwaukee is answering with a reshuffled order of its own against Matthew Boyd. Jackson Chourio moves into the leadoff spot, while Brice Turang, William Contreras, Jake Bauers, and Christian Yelich fill out the top six. Andrew Vaughn, Luis Lara, and Joey Ortiz are all in the starting lineup for the first time.
Boyd is coming off his best outing in a while. After allowing at least four runs in three of four starts, he settled in against the Arizona Diamondbacks and gave the Cubs 6.0 innings of one-run ball, giving up just three hits and striking out five, his most in August.
He hasn’t faced the Brewers this season, but Chicago is counting on that veteran presence to help push the club to a second straight win.
On the other side, Robert Gasser brings a tough-to-read look and a 4.59 ERA over 82.1 innings in 16 appearances. He’s done a good job limiting hard contact and walks, but he’s also had trouble keeping traffic off the bases.
His mix includes a sweeper, four-seamer, sinker, and cutter, with the sweeper - thrown in the low 80s - standing out as his best pitch. The Cubs’ approach is clear: stay off that pitch and force him into the zone with the fastball or sinker.
In Other News...
Cubs Bullpen Suddenly Faces A Brutal Ninth Inning Problem
Jacob Webb left a game after taking a 102.5 mph line drive off his right forearm, and while x-rays came back negative, the Cubs are still waiting to see how much time the reliever might miss. For a bullpen that has already been fighting for stability, the timing hardly could be worse. Chicagos relief group has struggled significantly since Aug. 19, leaving the late innings in a more fragile state than the club would like this deep into the season.
With Webb potentially sidelined, the Cubs may have to lean on Daniel Palencia for ninth-inning work, even though he has had recent difficulties on the mound. That creates a tricky short-term picture for a team that needs cleaner finishes and fewer emergency choices at the back end. The next few games could say a lot about whether Chicago can patch together the bullpen enough to keep games under control, or whether the ninth inning remains a daily stress point. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Fans Have Another Reason To Revisit The Kyle Tucker Trade
Kyle Tucker was supposed to be the centerpiece, the kind of addition that makes a bold trade easy to judge in the moment. But in the aftermath of that deal, Cubs fans have had another name to track in Hayden Wesneski, the right-hander included in the package and now showing signs of the talent that once made him part of Chicagos plans. After coming back from Tommy John surgery, he has settled in with the Astros and given them more stability than he did before the injury.
Wesneskis early work this season has only sharpened the long-running debate over whether the Cubs surrendered too much for a player who helped for just one season. Through his first seven starts, he has a 3.18 ERA and has cut down the home runs that became an issue in Chicago, a shift that makes the trade look a little different in hindsight. For Cubs fans, it is one more reason to revisit a deal that still feels worth measuring from every angle. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Lose A Late-Season Weapon At The Worst Possible Time
Ben Brown had become one of the more useful arms on the Cubs staff this season, giving the club a right-handed option who could move between roles and handle important innings. After earlier dealing with a neck issue in 2024, Brown had been working his way back and was trying to push through a rehab process that had offered hope he could return before the season ended.
Instead, Chicago has now ruled him out for the rest of 2026 after the injury resurfaced. It is a frustrating turn for a pitcher who had been helping stabilize the staff, and it leaves the Cubs to sort through the late-season bullpen and rotation mix without one of their more versatile weapons. [Read more 🡒]