Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers – Series Preview (May 18-20): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (29-18) slowed down from their red-hot 20-3 stretch with a 3-6 road trip against the Rangers, Braves, and White Sox. The offense struggled to score runs in Atlanta and Texas, but the pitching was more the culprit on the South Side. Next up is a return to Wrigley Field and a matchup with the division rival Brewers starting Monday.
Milwaukee (26-18) of course, knocked Chicago out of the playoffs the last time they met in the NLDS. It’s been a very familiar story for Pat Murphy and company in 2026, outperforming preseason projections by getting the absolute most out of an undermanned roster.
Pitching again leads the way for the Brew Crew with a 3.29 team ERA, which is third best in baseball. They have done this despite trading Freddy Peralta to the Mets before the season and losing Brandon Woodruff to a shoulder injury.
Phenom Jacob Misiorowski has emerged as the ace of the staff, but lefty Kyle Harrison has also been unbelievable since coming over from the Red Sox in an offseason trade. As per usual, the Brewers have a great bullpen with Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe sharing closer duties very effectively. Aaron Ashby has picked up eight wins already in a relief role already as well.
Milwaukee has struggled on offense with a team OPS of .693, which is 24th best in MLB. The on-base percentage is very good, but there has been a distinct lack of slugging so far with an MLB-low 30 home runs. A huge aspect of the Brewers’ hitting problems is the fact that key pieces Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Andrew Vaughn have all missed significant time with injury.
They have all returned to the lineup in the past two weeks, however, which has coincided with an 8-2 stretch. Oh, second baseman Brice Turang has been healthy and is having another great season as well
It seems pretty clear that Milwaukee is going to be around in the division race till the end. The North Siders have not been able to get past their northern neighbors for the past several seasons. If they want to take the next step to being a legitimate contender, they are going to have to finally exorcise their Wisconsin-based demons starting right here.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, May 18 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, May 19 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, May 20 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/18 | Shōta Imanaga | 32 | L | 2.32 | 4-3 | 2.84 | 4.54 |
| Brandon Sproat | 25 | R | 5.75 | 1–2 | 5.73 | 1.80 | |
| 5/19 | Ben Brown | 26 | R | 1.60 | 1-1 | 2.44 | 3.40 |
| Jacob Misiorowski | 24 | R | 2.12 | 3-2 | 2.27 | 4.71 | |
| 5/20 | Edward Cabrera | 28 | R | 4.06 | 3-1 | 4.49 | 2.50 |
| Kyle Harrison | 24 | L | 2.09 | 4-1 | 2.86 | 3.69 |
What to Watch For
- Michael Busch got on base seven times against the White Sox this weekend, including a home run.
- Brown has been very good in his two starts since entering the rotation.
- Caleb Thielbar went on a rehab stint and should be ready to rejoin the bullpen.
- Michael Conforto continues to produce with a double and a homer this weekend.
