Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/2/26): Brewers 9, Cubs 5 – Even Handing Miz His Worst Start Can’t Buy W

If I had told you coming into the game that the Cubs would score five earned runs on Jacob Misiorowski, the first time he’s given up more than three earned this season, you probably wouldn’t have believed me. They jumped on the Cy Young in waiting with a leadoff walk by Pete Crow-Armstrong and a two-run homer from Alex Bregman, then really made him labor in the 2nd inning.

Matt Shaw hit a one-out triple and was driven home by a Tyrone Taylor single, then back-to-back walks by PCA and Seiya Suzuki loaded the bases. Bregman’s big night continued with a two-run single that gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead. Oh yeah, I forgot about David Peterson‘s performance. That’s probably because it was indeed forgettable.

The lefty retired the first two batters of the game on five pitches, then gave up back-to-back singles before walking the bases loaded and surrendering another single. Another walk made it 2-0 Brewers, but they weren’t done scoring on the starter. Meanwhile, the Cubs went hitless against a parade of Milwaukee relievers before finally getting a meaningless infield single with two outs in the 9th.

Peterson struck out three in the 2nd, but served up a homer to Jackson Chourio in the 2nd. An uneventful 3rd gave way to a 4th inning that saw Peterson walk one and give up three hits to push the score to 6-5. Trent Thornton got the last out of the inning and the first of the next frame before going walk, single, single to load the bases and force Craig Counsell to go with Ryan Rolison.

Rolison pulled a Houdini thanks to an incredible diving catch by Nico Hoerner that saved at least one run, then worked a clean 6th. Daniel Palencia couldn’t do the same, giving up another run on two hits with no strikeouts. Caleb Thielbar looked great with two strikeouts in a perfect 8th, which was nice to see. Jacob Webb started the 9th and got a groundout before hitting a batter and giving up a single on a sharp comebacker that struck him in the forearm.

Webb left the game immediately and will be dealing with a serious bruise at the very least. With the way the bullpen has been pitching, the Cubs can ill afford to lose him for even a minimum IL stint. Colin Rea entered in relief and gave up a two-run single on the second pitch he threw, giving the Brewers a 9-5 lead that held through the Cubs’ half of the 9th. (Box score)

Key Moment

It’s not a moment, per se, but being dominated by the Brewers bullpen after hanging a big crooked number on the Miz was incredibly deflating.

Why the Cubs Lost

See above. They had one hit across five innings of relief, thus illustrating the big difference between these teams. The Cubs have a much more dynamic offense, but the Brewers have better and more consistent pitching.

Stats That Matter

• Bregman was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI
• PCA had that infield single to go with a pair of walks and two runs scored
• Both teams struck out nine times and walked five
• Peterson didn’t look right from the start, and the bullpen was taxed more than usual: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Bottom Line

The loss doesn’t sting as bad as it could have since the Phillies also lost, but it feels like a huge missed opportunity to waste what the hitters did to Misiorowski. A bullpen that has been far too kind to opponents may have lost one of its few reliable members, even though X-rays were reportedly negative, and the Cubs don’t have another day off for a week.

On Deck

The Cubs will try to close this series with a tie when these two teams meet up again at 6:15pm CT on FOX and The Score.