The Cubs and Brewers split a four-game series at Wrigley Field. Chicago opened the set in historic fashion before Milwaukee answered with two straight wins and the Cubs salvaged the finale. The series described the Cubs’ strengths and weaknesses this season: an offense capable of producing plenty of power and a pitching staff that continues to create major concerns heading into the final weeks of the season.
Chicago opened the series Monday with a 17-3 statement win over their division rival. The Cubs set a franchise record with nine home runs. Alex Bregman led the way with three homers, while Tyrone Taylor, Nico Hoerner, Carson Kelly, Matt Shaw, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Conforto also went deep. The nine homers were the most the Brewers had allowed in a game all season. Chicago finished August with 62 home runs, the second-most by a team in a calendar month in MLB history, behind the 2019 Yankees. Clay Holmes delivered one of his best starts of the season, throwing six scoreless innings.
The Cubs' offensive explosion did not carry over Tuesday. Chicago jumped ahead 3-0, with Taylor continuing his strong stretch since joining the Cubs by delivering a two-run double against his former team. Milwaukee slowly took control, scoring nine unanswered runs over the next four innings. Christian Yelich's two-run homer in the sixth gave the Brewers the lead, and William Contreras and Sal Frelick added RBI hits before Joey Ortiz's two-run homer put the game away.
Matthew Boyd pitched well enough to keep Chicago in the game, allowing three runs over 5⅓ innings. The bullpen continues to be Chicago’s downfall, with closer Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn combining to allow four runs in just 1⅓ innings.
Wednesday was frustrating for the Cubs. Chicago scored five runs against Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski, a Cy Young Award contender, in just four innings. Bregman continued his hot streak with a home run and four RBIs. He entered the game batting .331 with 14 homers and 37 RBIs over his previous 35 games. But the Cubs' pitching could not protect the offense.
David Peterson surrendered six runs in 3⅔ innings, and Milwaukee's offense eventually pulled away for a 9-5 victory. Jackson Chourio collected four hits, including a home run, as the Brewers improved to an MLB-best 87-53 and pushed their division lead over Chicago to nine games.
The loss was particularly damaging because Chicago had managed to score five runs against Misiorowski. Before Wednesday, he allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his first 25 starts. Hoerner made a spectacular defensive play at shortstop that kept the Cubs alive, but Chicago could not capitalize. The bullpen again struggled late, with Jacob Webb allowing two of Milwaukee's insurance runs.
Chicago responded Thursday with an impressive pitching performance. Pete Crow-Armstrong's two-run homer in the third inning, his 39th of the season, provided the difference in the Cubs’ 2-1 victory. Crow-Armstrong is one home run and eight stolen bases shy of a 40-40 season.
Kevin Gausman, acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, delivered seven dominant innings, allowing one run while striking out nine. Zeferjahn and Ryan Rolison then combined for two perfect innings. The victory allowed Chicago to avoid a series loss and finish the four-game set 2-2, although the Cubs left Wrigley Field eight games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central. Chicago also remained one game behind Philadelphia in the wild-card race.
The offense showed it can overpower even the league’s best teams, scoring 17 runs Monday and getting to Misiorowski on Wednesday. However, inconsistent starting pitching and another series of bullpen struggles cost Chicago two winnable games.
With the division slipping out of reach, the Cubs now have little room for error in the wild-card race. A looming battle with Philadelphia could determine whether Chicago begins the postseason at home or on the road.
