The Brewers are finishing the season the way contenders are supposed to: with their foot on the gas. Milwaukee ran its week to 5-1, took two of three from the Pirates in Pittsburgh, then swept the Orioles on the road to lock in a winning road trip with three games still left to play. At 98-58, they’ve already clinched the NL Central and keep looking more complete by the day.
It was the kind of week that showed how deep this roster can be. Jackson Chourio, Bo Naylor, and William Contreras all went deep, while Joey Ortiz paced the club with seven hits, including a double and a triple.
The run production was spread all over the lineup, too, with 12 players collecting at least one RBI. Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Cooper Pratt each drove in three.
The pitching staff did plenty of heavy lifting as well. Robert Gasser turned in one of the best starts of his young career, firing seven scoreless innings in Saturday night’s 1-0 win.
He allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out two. Jacob Misiorowski made two abbreviated starts and still piled up eight scoreless innings, leading the team with 11 strikeouts.
In the bullpen, Shane Drohan, Chad Patrick, Antonio Senzatela, Garrett Stallings, and Abner Uribe all posted scoreless weeks, combining for 13 2/3 innings and 17 strikeouts.
Milwaukee finishes the trip with three games in Philadelphia before heading home for a three-game set with the Cardinals next weekend.
Chicago keeps inching toward the finish line, and the Cubs are almost there. After a 4-2 week against the Braves and Reds, they moved to 87-69 and now sit with a magic number of one for the NL Wild Card. One win, or one D-backs loss, and the spot is theirs.
Pete Crow-Armstrong was the headliner again. At this point, he’s just padding his NL MVP case, launching four homers, stealing two bases, and driving in nine while putting together a 10-hit week.
Michael Conforto and Seiya Suzuki were both right behind him in their own way, each finishing with six hits and a homer. Six other Cubs also went deep.
The rotation gave Chicago enough to keep winning. David Peterson led the group with two victories, allowing two runs over 12 innings with 14 strikeouts.
Shota Imanaga delivered six innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts, while Kevin Gausman worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs with six strikeouts. Matthew Boyd also handled his start well, going five innings and allowing two runs, one earned, with four strikeouts.
Daniel Palencia, Colin Rea, Caleb Thielbar, and Ryan Zeferjahn combined for 7 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and struck out eight.
The Cubs finish the regular season at Wrigley with three games against the Marlins, then head to Boston for three more against the Red Sox over the weekend.
Pittsburgh’s week started with two losses to Milwaukee, but the Pirates answered with four straight wins to salvage the finale against the Brewers and then sweep the Royals. Even with that push, they’ve been eliminated from postseason contention.
Brandon Lowe powered the offense with four home runs and eight RBIs. Oneil Cruz and Rafael Flores each added two homers, while Konnor Griffin matched them in hits with nine. Griffin also chipped in three doubles and four RBIs.
Wilber Dotel handled the most effective stretch among Pittsburgh’s “starters,” opening and then making two relief appearances for a total of 4 2/3 innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts. The bullpen did the rest of the damage control. Brandon Eisert, Antwone Kelly, Mason Montgomery, and Yohan Ramírez combined for 15 1/3 scoreless innings and 17 strikeouts, with Montgomery earning three saves.
The Pirates close the season with three games against the Cardinals at PNC Park, then three more in Detroit against their interleague rivals.
St. Louis had another tough stretch and is also done in the playoff race. The Cardinals dropped two of three to both the Giants and Nationals as they wrapped up their home schedule for 2026.
Iván Herrera gave them one of the brighter moments of the week, homering twice Sunday as part of a six-hit week. Leo Bernal and Alec Burleson also went deep, and Bernal led the club with nine hits while driving in four.
On the mound, Quinn Mathews put together two solid outings, totaling 13 2/3 innings with four runs allowed and 11 strikeouts. Matthew Liberatore also delivered a quality start, going six innings and allowing one run with two strikeouts. George Soriano and Ryne Stanek led the bullpen, combining for 2 2/3 scoreless innings and three strikeouts.
The Cardinals spend their final week on the road, with three games in Pittsburgh and three more in Milwaukee.
Cincinnati’s season has been going the wrong direction for a while now, and this week was no different. The Reds dropped three of four to the Dodgers and then two of three to the Cubs in their final homestand of the year.
Elly De La Cruz was the biggest bright spot, finishing with two homers, a double, seven hits, and three stolen bases. JJ Bleday, Dane Myers, and Sal Stewart also homered, and Stewart’s six hits were second on the team.
Andrew Abbott turned in Cincinnati’s best start of the week, though that still meant just 4 2/3 innings with one run allowed and five strikeouts. The rotation struggled overall, but the bullpen held up far better. Tejay Antone, Graham Ashcraft, Brock Burke, Luis Mey, Emilio Pagán, and Tony Santillan combined for 15 scoreless innings and 15 strikeouts.
The Reds finish the year on the road with three games in Atlanta and three in Toronto.
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