Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs 3-Game Series Preview

The Milwaukee Brewers certainly have a fun series ahead of them this weekend.

After a day off on Thursday, the Brewers will return to action on Friday night at American Family Field against the National League Central rival Chicago Cubs. Any time these two teams get together, it's electric. Right now, the Brewers are in first place in the National League Central with a 49-29 record.

The Cubs are getting hot and are back in second place, just in front of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs are 44-37 on the season right now and have won four games in a row. St. Louis had been in second place for a while, but had its game postponed on Thursday due to inclement weather. The Cubs and Cardinals were tied in the standings on Thursday. But Chicago was able to play its game and beat the New York Mets, 4-3, so it has a half-game lead over the Cardinals.

We're going to see the best of the division throughout the weekend and the action begins on Friday night at 6:45 p.m. CDT.

Pitching Matchups

Jun 12, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies win the first inning the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Friday: Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) vs. Colin Rea (CHC) — First Pitch: 6:45 p.m. CDT

Saturday: Kyle Harrison (MIL) vs. TBD (CHC) — First Pitch: 6:10 p.m. CDT

Sunday: Brandon Woodruff (MIL) vs. TBD (CHC) — First PitchL 1:10 p.m. CDT

It's not hard to see which team has the advantage from the pitching matchups. Misiorowski is the most dominant hurler in baseball right now and has allowed just three earned runs since May 1. Kyle Harrison has a 2.50 ERA in 14 starts this season and has been lights-out. Woodruff just returned from the Injured List and pitched six shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

Rea was a member of the Brewers for three seasons. The organization certainly is familiar with him. This season, he has a 4.99 ERA in 16 appearances, including 12 starts.

Trends Before Friday

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) is shown during the first inning of their game against the San Francisco Giants Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Both the Brewers and the Cubs are red-hot right now. Milwaukee is entering the series with four straight wins, including a three-game series sweep over the Reds. The Cubs are entering the series with four straight wins, including a four-game sweep over the Mets. Both the Brewers and the Cubs have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games.

It's important to note that the Brewers have been the clear-cut No. 1 club in the division this season. For example, the Brewers enter the series with a +123 run differential on the season. The Cubs have the second-highest mark in the division at +37.

Injuries

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jared Koenig (47) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Brewers are expected to get reliever Jared Koenig back into the mix throughout the weekend. On Thursday, it was shared that Craig Yoho was being optioned down to Triple-A to make room on the roster.

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