The Brewers can keep tightening their grip on the Central Division Thursday night at Wrigley Field, where they finish their four-game set against the Cubs with a shot at a third straight win in the series.
Milwaukee sends right-hander Logan Henderson to the mound. He enters at 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA and will face Cubs right-hander Kevin Gausman, who is 7-11 with a 4.37 ERA.
A Brewers victory would trim their magic number to win the division to 11, thanks to Milwaukee having already clinched the tiebreaker in the season series.
Milwaukee comes in at 87-53, the best record in the majors, and it owns a season-high nine-game cushion over Chicago in the division.
First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m. CT, and the game will air on FOX.
The Brewers’ lineup features Jackson Chourio leading off in left field, followed by Brice Turang at second, William Contreras at catcher, Jake Bauers in right, Andrew Vaughn at first, Christian Yelich as the designated hitter, Garrett Mitchell in center, Joey Ortiz at shortstop and David Hamilton at third.
Chicago counters with Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, Seiya Suzuki in right, Michael Busch at first, Alex Bregman at third, Ian Happ in left, Nico Hoerner at shortstop, Pedro Ramírez at second, Michael Conforto at designated hitter and Carson Kelly behind the plate.
Looking ahead, the Brewers head to Cincinnati for a pair against the Reds. On Sept.
4, Milwaukee is scheduled to start left-hander Shane Drohan, 7-5 with a 3.75 ERA, against Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder, 6-8 with a 5.14 ERA. That game is set for 5:10 p.m. and will be shown on Brewers.TV with radio coverage on AM-620 WTMJ.
The series continues Sept. 5 at 5:40 p.m., when Milwaukee right-hander Dustin May, 6-9 with a 4.69 ERA, is lined up to face Cincinnati left-hander Andrew Abbott, 6-10 with a 4.49 ERA. That one also will be on Brewers.TV and AM-620 WTMJ.
In Other News...
Josh Hader Just Reopened A Brewers Debate Fans Never Forgot
Josh Haders latest comments brought an old Brewers conversation back to the surface, the kind of one that never quite disappears in Milwaukee. Now pitching for the Astros and under contract there through 2028, the former Brewers closer said in a recent interview that he hopes he might someday return to the organization he left in a 2022 trade. It is the sort of reflection that tends to land differently when a player has stayed productive, and Hader has done exactly that with Houston this season.
Even after moving on from him and several other star arms in recent years, the Brewers have kept building around a bullpen that remains one of the clubs strengths. Haders comments do not change the present-day reality, but they do reopen a familiar debate for fans who still remember what he meant to the team before the trade. For now, the path back is anything but simple, but the possibility alone is enough to stir a little nostalgia in Milwaukee. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Woodruff Suddenly Has Plenty Riding On This Brewers Comeback Bid
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There is also a bigger picture here for a pitcher who is only under contract through this year. Pat Murphy has already floated the idea that Woodruff could still help the Brewers in 2026, even in a relief role, which makes this recovery more than a simple late-season rehab watch. For Milwaukee, the next few weeks are about more than getting another arm back, because what happens next could shape how much of Woodruffs future remains tied to the club. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Fischers Power Surge Comes With One Big Brewers Question
Andrew Fischer has forced his way into the conversation with one of the loudest seasons in the Brewers system, crushing 44 home runs at Double-A while posting a .270/.402/.647 line. The power is impossible to miss, and for a player in Milwaukees pipeline, that kind of production naturally gets attention from a fan base always looking for the next impact bat.
The bigger question is whether the rest of Fischers game is ready to travel with him. He has struck out 177 times, a 34.2% strikeout rate that has plenty of evaluators wondering how much of that pop will hold up against big-league pitching, which helps explain why he has not yet been promoted or landed on MLB.coms top-100 prospects list. Fans can see the obvious upside, but the Brewers appear content to stay patient and let their development plan answer the hardest part of the scouting report. [Read more 🡒]