Here we go — the first Brewers-Cubs series of the 2026 season, and their first meeting since the Brewers beat the Cubs 3-2 in last season’s NLDS.
The Crew is headed to Wrigley Field, as they’ll take on the Cubs for three games beginning Monday night. The Brewers are coming off a series win over the Twins in Minnesota, their third straight series victory after a 5-1 homestand against the Yankees and Padres. The Cubs, who have rattled off two 10-game win streaks already this season, sit at 29-18 on the season, 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers and Cardinals, though they’ve lost each of their last three series against the Rangers, Braves, and White Sox.
On the injury front, the Brewers are currently without Quinn Priester (early June), Brandon Woodruff (late May), Rob Zastryzny (late May), Jared Koenig (late May/early June), and Angel Zerpa (out for the season). Outfielders Brandon Lockridge (mid- to late June) and Akil Baddoo (late May or early June) are also shelved.
The Cubs are also without a lot of pitching depth. Matthew Boyd (late June/early July), Caleb Thielbar (may return this week), Hunter Harvey (TBD), Justin Steele (second half of season), Riley Martin (June/July), Jaxon Wiggins (TBD), Cade Horton (2027), Shelby Miller (2027), and Porter Hodge (2027) are all out. The only position player injury for them is first baseman Tyler Austin, who is TBD after undergoing a knee procedure during spring training.
Brice Turang is the leader of the Brewer offense, with William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and Andrew Vaughn also factoring in. Sal Frelick, Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, and Gary Sánchez, as well as Luis Rengifo over the last week or so, have also been key. Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, and David Hamilton round things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .244/.333/.360 (.693 OPS ranks 23rd), with 30 homers (last), 218 runs (eighth), and 49 steals (fourth).
Ian Happ leads the Cubs’ offense with 10 homers this season, and the combo of Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, and Nico Hoerner makes for a formidable middle of the lineup. Rookie Moisés Ballesteros has plenty of pop, and Miguel Amaya, Michael Conforto, Matt Shaw, Nicky Lopez, and Carson Kelly round things out. As a team, the Cubs are hitting .246/.343/.406 (.749 OPS ranks fourth), with 57 homers (tied for seventh), 241 runs (fourth), and 33 steals (14th).
Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Grant Anderson, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill have racked up most of the innings and appearances for the Milwaukee bullpen, with Jake Woodford and Shane Drohan rounding things out (and I’d expect the Brewers to make an additional move to bring another arm into the fold before this series). As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.29 team ERA (third), including a 3.23 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.36 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 426 batters (fourth) over 391 1/3 innings.
Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner bring up the anchors for Chicago’s bullpen, with Ty Blach, Trent Thornton, Ryan Rolison, and Ethan Roberts rounding out the group. Milner and Webb lead the team with 21 and 20 appearances, respectively, and Milner sports a 2.08 ERA while Webb has a 3.20 ERA. Palencia leads the team with three saves in three opportunities since returning from injury. As a staff, the Cubs have a 3.99 team ERA (15th), including a 4.12 starter ERA (16th) and a 3.80 bullpen ERA (12th). They’ve struck out 382 batters (18th) over 417 1/3 innings.
Monday, May 18 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (1-2, 5.75 ERA, 5.73 FIP) vs. LHP Shota Imanaga (4-3, 2.32 ERA, 2.84 FIP)
Sproat, 25, has made eight appearances (six starts) this season, spanning 36 innings with a 5.75 ERA, 5.73 FIP, and 36 strikeouts. He’s struggled primarily with walks (20) and homers (eight) this year, though he’s coming off his first career win against the Padres in a game where he went 5 1/3 innings with three runs allowed on six hits and two walks, striking out six. This marks his first career appearance against the Cubs.
Imanaga, 32, is in his third MLB season, all with the Cubs. An All-Star in his rookie season back in 2024, he fell off a bit last year but has bounced back nicely thus far in 2026. Through nine starts, he has a 2.32 ERA, 2.84 FIP, and 59 strikeouts over 54 1/3 innings. He took the loss in his last appearance, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out six in a 4-1 loss to the Braves. The Brewers have had quite a bit of success against Imanaga, as he’s 1-3 with a 5.73 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 22 innings in four starts against them.
Tuesday, May 19 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (3-2, 2.12 ERA, 2.27 FIP) vs. RHP Ben Brown (1-1, 1.60 ERA, 2.44 FIP)
Misiorowski, 24, seems to get better every time he’s on the mound. Over nine starts this year, he has a 2.12 ERA, 2.27 FIP, and an MLB-best 80 strikeouts over just 51 innings. He got pinned with a no-decision in his last time out, but he was absolute nails, going seven scoreless frames with no walks and four hits allowed, striking out 10. He hasn’t allowed a run in each of his last three appearances, totaling 18 1/3 innings. Miz made two starts against Chicago last season, going 0-1 with six runs allowed (five earned) and 12 strikeouts over eight innings.
Brown, 26, is also in his third season with the Cubs. He’s functioned as a sixth starter type over the last couple of years, working in a swingman role but also making starts as needed, similar to Tobias Myers last year or Chad Patrick this year. He’s made 14 appearances this season (two starts), with a 1.60 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 34 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings. He’s gone four scoreless innings as a starter in each of his last two appearances, striking out 10 and allowing just two walks and one hit in those outings. Brown has made three starts against Milwaukee, with a 2-0 record, 19 strikeouts, and just two runs allowed over 18 innings.
Wednesday, May 20 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (4-1, 2.09 ERA, 2.86 FIP) vs. RHP Edward Cabrera (3-1, 4.06 ERA, 4.49 FIP)
Harrison, 24, is enjoying a breakout season thus far, making eight starts with a 2.09 ERA, 2.86 FIP, and 48 strikeouts over 38 2/3 innings. The lefty picked up another win in his last start, going five scoreless against the Padres as he allowed five hits and no walks, striking out seven in a 7-1 victory. Harrison’s only appearance against the Cubs came in relief while with the Giants last May, as he went one perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Cabrera, 28, was acquired from the Marlins over the offseason after spending the first five years of his career in Miami. Over the course of his career, he’s shown flashes of his potential but hasn’t quite been able to put it all together just yet. Through nine starts this season, he has a 4.06 ERA, 4.49 FIP, and 45 strikeouts over 51 innings. After a pair of scoreless outings to begin the season, he’s allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last seven starts, including three runs allowed against the White Sox in his last appearance. Cabrera made four appearances (three starts) against Milwaukee while with the Marlins, totaling 19 2/3 innings with a 2.29 ERA and 20 strikeouts, though he went just 1-2.
Monday, May 18: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Tuesday, May 19: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Wednesday, May 20: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
This is another tough battle as the Brewers look to assert their dominance over their rivals to the south. I’ll take the Cubs to eke out two of three, but this series will hopefully be fun either way.