Cubs vs Brewers Series Preview (Aug 30-Sept 1): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
After being swept by the Nationals, the Cubs were staring down the barrel of a rough series against the Mets in New York. Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, and Jacob deGrom all got starts in the series, adding several degrees of difficulty to the maneuver. So naturally, Chicago won all three games for their own sweep, because baseball is insane.
The stagnant offense suddenly sprang to life despite Anthony Rizzo nursing a back injury and the Cubs tagged Syndergaard and deGrom for 14 runs in 10 innings. Next on the docket is a three-game series at Wrigley against the Brewers.
Milwaukee has had a rough month of August, especially the pitchers. The team ERA this month sits at 4.99 and the once ironclad bullpen is now shaky at best. Even closer Josh Hader has allowed 13 home runs with a good, not great, 2.87 ERA.
That being said, the Crew has a very potent offense. Christian Yelich is having another huge year and young Keston Hiura is on fire with 16 dingers and a .951 OPS. Mike Moustakas has hit 31 bombs and is a real threat in the middle of the order.
This series starts a final month of the season in which the Cubs have 14 games with the Brewers and Cardinals. These contests will almost surely decide who ends up winning the National League Central. The Mets sweep was a huge first step, hopefully it portends more success to come.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, August 30 at 1:20pm CT on WGN and MLB Network (out of market)
- Saturday, August 31 at 1:20pm CT on NBC Sports Chicago
- Sunday, September 1 at 1:20pm CT on NBC Sports Chicago
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/30 | José Quintana | 30 | L | 4.05 | 11-8 | 3.71 | 3.44 |
| Chase Anderson | 31 | R | 4.34 | 6-3 | 4.70 | 2.60 | |
| 8/31 | Cole Hamels | 35 | L | 3.73 | 7-4 | 3.93 | 2.74 |
| Zach Davies | 26 | R | 3.90 | 8-7 | 4.84 | 1.93 | |
| 9/1 | Yu Darvish | 33 | R | 4.25 | 5-6 | 4.69 | 3.52 |
| Gio Gonzalez | 33 | L | 4.34 | 2-2 | 4.33 | 2.07 |
What to Watch For
- Victor Caratini had himself a series at Citi Field. The Cubs catcher/first baseman went 7-for-12 with a double and two homers against the Mets, single-handedly destroying deGrom in the finale.
- Javy Báez appears to be heating up with four hits and several more well-struck balls in the series.
- Darvish threw eight strong innings against New York despite issuing his first walk since July.