Cubs vs Brewers Lineup: Cubs face the Miz, Suzuki at DH, defense the focus tonight

In a rough night for the Cubs on the pitching and defensive front, Craig Counsell is rolling out arguable his best defensive lineup available to him.

The Cubs lost their NL Wild Card lead to the Phillies last night in their 9-4 loss to the Brewers, meaning if the playoffs ended today, the Phillies would host a three-game Wild Card series. So with ground ball specialist David Peterson on the mound, Counsell has put Matt Shaw at second and Tyrone Taylor in right field.

They'll need to keep the Milwaukee bats quiet with Jacob Misiorowski and his sparkling 1.73 ERA on the year. Tough draw for the Cubs, but he is the type of pitcher they should expect to face should they be playing in October.

The Cubs will look to bounce back from yesterday's bullpen disaster and keep pace the Phillies for the top Wild Card spot.

Game Info

Who: Milwaukee Brewers (86-52) at Chicago Cubs (78-61)
Where: Wrigley Field
When: 6:40 PM CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score

Chicago Cubs Lineup

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Seiya Suzuki, DH
3. Alex Bregman, 3B
4. Michael Busch, 1B
5. Nico Hoerner, SS
6. Ian Happ, LF
7. Matt Shaw, 2B
8. Tyrone Taylor, RF
9. Miguel Amaya, C

The Cubs don't have great numbers against Misiorowski, but Seiya Suzuki did hit a home run off the Miz earlier this season and has a 1.194 OPS in nine career plate appearances. One match-up to watch is Misiorowski vs Pete Crow- Armstrong, who's hitless in nine attempts against the hard-throwing righty.

Milwaukee Brewers Lineup

1. Jackson Chourio, LF
2. Brice Turang, 2B
3. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
4. William Contreras, C
5. Jake Bauers, RF
6. Luis Lara, CF
7. Gary Sanchez, DH
8. Joey Ortiz, 3B
9. Cooper Pratt, SS

Jackson Chourio has a career 1.194 OPS in eight at-bats against Peterson, including a home run from earlier in the year when he was a Met. Gary Sanchez is a good low-ball hitter and has a .873 career OPS vs Peterson, he'll be another bat to avoid with runners on base.

On the Mound ...

Aug 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher David Peterson (19) throws the ball against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cubs – David Peterson, RHP

David Peterson has a 2.50 ERA in his last 7 starts and hasn't lost a game with a 3-0 record. Peterson's been missing more bats lately to go along with his 50% ground ball rate, striking out six or more batters in four of his last five outings.

Peterson is a great pitcher to have on the mound tonight against a contact-heavy Brewers team, and hopefully leaning into a strength like their defense puts them in a spot to steal the series.

Aug 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brewers – Jacob Miisiorowski, LHP

The 24-year-old has a 2.03 ERA in his last seven starts, striking out 55 batters while walking just 8 in those starts. The Cubs are going to strikeout tonight, Miz is too good at missing bats and changing speeds, but the hitters plans should be to make him throw as many pitches as possible each at-bat.

A hot day in Chicago with temperatures reaching 90+ degrees should keep the air warm, so the balls may be carrying again. If the Cubs can touch one of Misiorowski's fastballs, it might just go flying out of the park — but expect some silly swings and misses tonight from the Cubs.

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