Brewers, Cubs open pivotal series fresh off series sweeps

Hard-throwing Jacob Misiorowski will look to bounce back from his first loss in two months when the host Milwaukee Brewers open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

Misiorowski (8-3, 1.45 ERA), who leads the majors in ERA and strikeouts (138), will oppose fellow right-hander Colin Rea (5-5, 4.99).

The Cubs defeated the host New York Mets 4-3 on Thursday on Pete Crow-Armstrong's RBI double in the 10th inning to complete a four-game sweep. Chicago has won six of its last seven games.

"We asked a lot of everybody in this series," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "When you are playing good baseball, there are a lot of names to mention. That was absolutely the case in the last four days and tonight as well."

Milwaukee, which was idle Thursday, hung on for a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds despite a depleted bullpen on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep on the road.

William Contreras and Jake Bauers had back-to-back home runs for the Brewers, and Andrew Vaughn added a pinch-hit, three-run double in the seventh inning for a 6-1 lead. Joel Kuhnel preserved the win by inducing a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in the ninth.

The National League Central-leading Brewers, who moved a season-high 20 games above .500, have a 6 1/2-game lead over the second-place Cubs.

The Brewers are in a stretch 18 of 21 games against Central Division opponents heading into the All-Star break. Milwaukee, which has won the last three NL Central titles, is 11-3 this season within the division, including 10 straight victories.

Milwaukee swept a three-game series in Chicago in May.

Misiorowski was saddled with the loss in his last start, allowing two runs and five hits over six innings with seven strikeouts in a 3-2 defeat at Atlanta. It marked his first loss since April 19 at Miami, 5-3.

"Miz was great. He was dominant. He was fantastic," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "You know, you're going to give up runs if you're a human."

Misiorowski, who has an 0.45 ERA over his last nine starts, almost was unhittable in May, going 5-0 in six starts and allowing one earned run in 38 1/3 innings with 57 strikeouts. In winning his first two starts in June, Misiorowski allowed one run (none earned) in 16 innings, with 23 strikeouts.

Misiorowski is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs, including a 5-2 win this season on May 19. He allowed three hits over six scoreless innings, with eight strikeouts.

The Brewers' bullpen is expected to receive a boost this weekend with the return of left-hander Jared Koenig, who has been sidelined since early April with a left elbow strain after three relief outings.

Koenig was 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA last season in 72 appearances.

The Cubs are in a stretch of 14 games in 13 days because of a doubleheader against the Mets on Wednesday. Chicago enters the series in Milwaukee with an injury-riddled rotation.

Right-handers Edward Cabrera (hamstring strain) and Ben Brown (neck strain) were placed on the injured list Wednesday, joining three other starters there.

The Cubs acquired left-hander David Peterson in a trade with the Mets on Thursday. Peterson is 3-6 with a 6.09 ERA in 16 games, including eight starts.

Rae, who appeared in 58 games with Milwaukee in 2023 and 2024, including 49 starts, is 0-2 with a 5.85 ERA in four games in June, including three starts.

He did not get a decision in his last start despite allowing just three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in an 8-6 loss to Toronto on Saturday.

--Field Level Media