Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers – Series Preview (August 18-21): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4

The Cubs (70-54) overcame their continued offensive malaise to take the weekend set from the Pirates and snap a streak of losing three consecutive series. Now they head into the much-anticipated, and now slightly diminished, five-game matchup with the mighty Brewers beginning with a doubleheader Monday at Wrigley.

When Chicago beat Milwaukee (78-45) on July 30, they were one game back in the National League Central standings. The Brew Crew proceeded to win their next 14 games before finally losing on Sunday and are now eight games ahead of the North Siders in the race. The streak featured a whopping eight comeback victories with improbable hero after improbable hero stepping forward to keep the chain going.

The Brewers’ incredible second half has been driven by great starting pitching with a rotation ERA of 3.41, second best in baseball. Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, and José Quintana are all having excellent seasons. Ace Brandon Woodruff returned in June after missing all of 2024 with a shoulder injury and has also been great in 39.1 innings.

The bullpen has been a bit more uneven with a 3.81 ERA, but closer Trevor Megill has been lights-out with 29 saves and a 2.09 ERA. Right-hander Abner Uribe and lefty Jared Koenig have both done good work as the primary setup men for Megill.

Milwaukee’s offense, which had been a real liability the first two months of 2025, has had a remarkable turnaround since June. Their .739 team OPS is now eighth-best in MLB. One of the most stunning aspects of their surge is first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who was cut by the White Sox early in the season but has a 1.001 OPS and nine homers in just 31 games for the Crew.

Christian Yelich has regained his power stroke and is well on the way to 30 homers. Second baseman Brice Turang has six home runs in August and is suddenly very dangerous. Catcher William Contreras has also gotten going this month, hitting .333 with four dingers.

The stakes for this series don’t seem as high with the Brewers so far up in the standings, but the Cubs are not out of it yet. That said, they are going to need to win four of these five games to get within shouting distance. Definitely a tall task w.

Even if winning the division isn’t a realistic outcome, Chicago must start playing better baseball to maintain a playoff position. If the Cubs don’t improve from their current level of performance, it probably won’t matter even if they do make it to the postseason.

Game Time and Broadcast Info

  • Monday, August 18 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
  • Monday, August 18 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee.
  • Tuesday, August 19 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee.
  • Wednesday, August 20 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee.
  • Thursday, August 21 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.

Starting Pitchers

Date Pitcher Age T ERA W/L FIP K/BB
8/18 Cade Horton 23 R 3.07 7-3 3.74 2.48
Freddy Peralta 29 R 2.90 14-5 3.75 2.96
8/19 Matthew Boyd 34 L 2.46 11-6 3.18 4.20
Brandon Woodruff 32 R 2.06 4–0 3.60 4.93
8/20 Colin Rea 35 R 3.99 9-5 4.60 2.73
Jacob Misiorowski 23 R 3.89 4–1 3.29 2.94
8/21 Shōta Imanaga 31 L 3.06 8-5 4.32 4.47
Quinn Priester 24 R 3.48 11-2 4.33 2.50

What to Watch For

  • Neither team has named a starter for game two of the doubleheader Monday night, but Jameson Taillon is likely to return from injury for the Cubs.
  • Pete Crow-Armstrong had five hits and reached base seven times against the Pirates.
  • Chicago continued to have offensive issues with just nine total runs against Pittsburgh.
  • The Cubs have a 2.75 team ERA in August, the best in baseball.