MLB Insider Previews Brewers-Cubs NLDS: What To Watch For This Series

Here is what fans can expect from the NLDS.

Aug 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Andruw Monasterio (14) scores against the Chicago Cubs during the eight inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to welcome the Chicago Cubs to town for the first two games of the National League Division Series. They won 97 games and had the best record in Major League Baseball while also winning their fourth NL Central title in the last five years. The Cubs won 92 games and eliminated the San Diego Padres to advance to the NLDS.

Game 1 will start at 1:08 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday as the two NL Central rivals square off. It should be a fun series between two teams that have been battling back and forth all season long.

Grant Brisbee of The Athletic previewed the series and outlined what to watch for as the NLDS begins.

What To Watch For In Cubs-Brewers NLDS

Aug 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"It’s got everything that the Yankees and Blue Jays series has, at least from a divisional-shenanigans perspective. You can make the case that Milwaukee’s roster has more than a few similarities with Toronto’s, with both clubs thriving on a similar quantity-of-quality approach to roster building. There isn’t anyone quite like Judge on either roster, so it’s hard to make a case for the Cubs over the Yankees in terms of watchability," Brisbee wrote.

"Still the teams are still fresh to the seasoned baseball watcher, and whatever NLCS fatigue there was for the Cubs after their back-to-back-to-back appearances from 2015 to 2017, it’s mostly gone now. That was so very long ago. The Brewers have been to only two NLCS since moving to the National League in 1998, and they’re one of the only teams left without a championship.

The two teams are very evenly matched. The Cubs were ultimately the ones to emerge victorious in the season series between the two, but it was the Brewers who beat them to the top of the NL Central, so it should be a very interesting series.

The Cubs and Brewers have been the top two teams in the NL Central in two of the last three years, and their rivalry also dates back to 2018, when the division wasn't decided until a tiebreaker game was played. Milwaukee beat Chicago in that game to win the division.

There is a lot of history between these two teams, and it will be fun to watch them battle it out in the NLDS starting on Saturday.

More MLB: Brewers Top Prospect Praised For Dominant 2025 Season