Cubs @ Brewers – Series Preview (April 5-7): TV and Game Info, Pitching Matchups, Insights
The Brewers have come out of the gate hot, riding a string of close victories to a 6-1 record and an early division lead. The Cubs, on the other hand, head to Milwaukee on the heels of five straight losses looking to avoid sole possession of last place in the National League Central.
Cubs pitching has been especially irregular, with plenty of walks from the starters and plenty of runs given up by the bullpen. The bats have been solid for the most part, leading the league in several categories and scoring a total of 36 runs through six games. That offensive output should get a further boost by facing the bottom of the Brewers’ rotation.
The Brewers are coming off a travel day after a sweep of Cincinnati in which reigning MVP Christian Yelich failed to homer in three straight games. That’s either a sign that he’s finally, mercifully coming back to earth or that he’s primed to go off against Cubs pitching. His 266 wRC+ leads the way, with Mike Moustaka (131) and Lorenzo Cain (120) also performing well so far.
Game and Broadcast Info
- Friday, April 5 at 7:10 CT on WGN
- Saturday, April 6 at 1:20 CT on FS1, NBC Sports Chicago+
- Sunday, April 7 at 1:10 CT on NBC Sports Chicago, MLB Network (out-of-network only)
Starting Pitchers (2018 Stats)
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | W/L | ERA | FIP | K/BB |
| 4/5 | José Quintana | 30 | L | 13-11 | 4.03 | 4.43 | 2.32 |
| Brandon Woodruff | 25 | L | 12-9 | 3.90 | 4.14 | 1.98 | |
| 4/6 | Cole Hamels | 35 | L | 9-12 | 3.78 | 4.49 | 2.89 |
| Corbin Burnes | 24 | R | 7-0 | 2.61 | 3.79 | 3.18 | |
| 4/7 | Kyle Hendricks | 29 | R | 14-11 | 3.44 | 3.78 | 3.66 |
| Zach Davies | 26 | R | 2-7 | 4.77 | 4.39 | 2.33 |
What to Watch For
- The Brewers bullpen has some injuries to compensate for. If the Cubs can’t get to the starters, watch for some roster rejiggering in later innings to take advantage of matchups.
- There seems to be some tension between Joe Maddon’s proclamations and practices. With the team off to a slow start he’s being called to account for a lot of his everyday decisions, although some of it is likely down to statistics. He may go to his bag of tricks and pull out something unexpected to shake up the clubhouse.
- Miller Park has long been known derisively as “Wrigley Field North,” so it’ll be interesting to see to what extent Cubs fans invade the not-so-friendly confines. A poor showing in Milwaukee would take even more wind out of the Cubs’ sails.
