The Cubs get a meaningful one tonight, even if the bigger chase is hanging by a thread.
Chicago is still trying to reel in Milwaukee, but the Wild Card picture has tightened after the Philadelphia Phillies moved into the top spot. So while the Brewers are still the main target, this game carries its own weight.
It matters for the standings, and it also matters for the season series. Milwaukee leads that matchup 6-3, and if the Cubs can trim it to 6-4, they’d still have a path to winning the series with a sweep in the final meeting later this month.
If they lose, the Brewers lock up the tiebreaker.
The matchup at Wrigley Field is set for 6:15 PM CT, with Marquee Sports Network carrying it and 104.3 The Score on the radio.
Chicago’s lineup looks more like its usual right-handed look after Wednesday’s game against Jacon Misiorowski. Pete Crow-Armstrong leads off in center, followed by Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Alex Bregman in the four-hole.
Bregman is back at third base, which pushes Busch back into his spot in the order while keeping him at first. Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Pedro Ramírez, Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly round out the group.
Ramírez’s return is the notable personnel update. He’s back at second base and hitting seventh after missing time with back spasms following the Reds series.
The issue was never considered serious, but it still counts as a good sign that he’s back in the lineup. With Ramírez active, Matt Shaw and Tyrone Taylor sit out; both had started three straight games while the Cubs were dealing with the Brewers’ lefty-heavy rotation.
Milwaukee counters with Jackson Chourio leading off and Brice Turang right behind him. William Contreras hits third, followed by Jake Bauers, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich. Garrett Mitchell, Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton finish the order.
On the mound, Kevin Gausman is looking for a cleaner outing after his last start against the Cincinnati Reds went sideways. He allowed 5 earned runs on six hits and worked only 5.0 innings, though he did strike out seven. The issue was hard contact, and that’s been part of the story for him since coming to Chicago.
There is at least one thing working in his favor: Milwaukee doesn’t live off the long ball. The Brewers do, however, put together plenty of quality contact, which means Gausman will need his swing-and-miss stuff to show up.
He already saw this club in April and gave up 3 earned runs in 5.0 innings with 4 strikeouts.
Across the diamond, Logan Henderson has been one of Milwaukee’s bright spots. He owns a 2.48 ERA and a 30.1 percent strikeout rate, built on a three-pitch mix of a four-seamer, changeup and cutter that he attacks with command. The changeup is the pitch that really separates him; it has a whiff rate in the high 30s and spins at a ridiculous rate.
Henderson has been rolling lately, too. He hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in any of his last three starts, and he’s gone at least 6.0 innings in each of them. Two of those outings came against the Brewers and Dodgers, by the way.
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
The Brewers have managed to keep their rotation afloat even after losing Quinn Priester and Brandon Woodruff to injury, but Woodruffs situation carries a different kind of weight. The right-hander, who has long battled shoulder issues, recently started a five-week throwing program as he works toward a possible return this season, giving Milwaukee at least a flicker of hope that his comeback bid might still matter down the stretch.
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 🡒]