Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers – Series Preview (May 3-5): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (19-13) just split a four-game series with the Mets in New York to complete a 3-4 road trip that included a stop at Fenway Park for three against the Red Sox. Chicago was able to hang in despite not having their top offensive and pitching weapons available but it won’t get any easier as they return home for a matchup with the rival Brewers.
When Milwaukee (19-11) traded away ace Corbin Burnes in spring training after a quiet offseason, many people wrote them off as rebuilding. As they are wont to do, the Brew Crew have again defied expectations early in 2024 and are currently in first place in the National League Central, a game ahead of the Cubs.
The Brewers’ offense is the driving force behind their hot start to the season with an OPS of .762 that is third-best in baseball. Catcher William Contreras is off to a blistering start with a .956 OPS and 13 extra-base hits, including five home runs. Willy Adames is playing well after a difficult 2023 and free-agent addition Rhys Hoskins has six homers.
Christian Yelich also started the season on a tear but he’s currently on the injured list with a back problem that has limited him to just 11 games. Young second baseman Brice Turang and outfielder Blake Perkins have also played well early.
Milwaukee has not been as effective pitching-wise so far with a team ERA of 3.98, 18th out of 30 teams in 2024. Freddy Peralta is the de facto ace with Burnes in Baltimore and former Cub Colin Rea was arguably their best starter in April.
Manager Pat Murphy has been able to piece together a pretty effective bullpen despite All-Star closer Devin Williams being out the first three months of the season with a back injury. Bryan Hudson and Hoby Milner have been particularly impressive.
The big story going into this series is Cubs manager Craig Counsell facing his former employer for the first time. It won’t be as heated as when he returns to Milwaukee at the end of the month, but it’s still going to make for very compelling viewing.
These two squads are probably going to be battling for most of the summer so these are about as important as non-important May games can be. So while not even close to make-or-break, it would be nice if Chicago could win this series and start on a good note against their rivals to the north.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, May 3 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
- Saturday, May 4 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, May 5 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/3 | Hayden Wesneski | 26 | R | 0.87 | 2-0 | 2.27 | 6.00 |
| Joe Ross | 30 | R | 5.40 | 1-3 | 3.90 | 1.92 | |
| 5/4 | Jameson Taillon | 32 | R | 1.50 | 2-0 | 4.08 | 3.00 |
| Tobias Myers | 25 | R | 4.50 | 0-1 | 5.54 | 9.00 | |
| 5/5 | Javier Assad | 26 | R | 1.97 | 2-0 | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Freddy Peralta | 27 | R | 3.21 | 3-0 | 3.17 | 5.00 |
What to Watch For
- Wesneski has been very good so far both starting and pitching in relief.
- Mike Tauchman reached base 12 times in the seven-game road trip.
- Counsell’s all-time record against the Cubs as Brewers manager was 75-79.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong is starting to put together better at-bats with more playing time and finally stole his first base of the season Thursday.