Three weeks ago, it would be hard to put into words just how massive this series felt. The Brewers and the Cubs, battling it out for the NL Central crown, were set to play a rare five-game series in late August. It truly seemed like the type of scheduling quirk that might decide the whole division.
Flash forward to the present, and things appear to be less paramount. The Cubs have slumped, while the Brewers just finished up a 14-game winning streak. You really don’t need to know much more than that to figure out why it’s Milwaukee who enters the day with a nine-game lead in the standings.
Let’s preview Game 1 of today’s second attempt at a doubleheader with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Brewers at Cubs prediction, preview
We all joke about the Brewers’ ability to seemingly generate controllable assets out of nowhere, but this team’s depth is no laughing matter. Chad Patrick is a perfect example of this. Most clubs would be dreading a doubleheader, as it creates a need for a sixth MLB caliber starting pitcher to take on the role of 27th man. Milwaukee just has Patrick chilling in Triple-A. At one point this season, the right-hander was the Brewers’ best arm in the rotation, and at the time of his demotion, Patrick owned a 3.52 ERA to go along with a 3.56 FIP. Heck, Patrick hasn’t been on Milwaukee’s roster since early July, yet he still leads all NL rookie pitchers in fWAR (2.0). This guy would be an SP3 on most teams. He’s that solid.
On Monday, Patrick was scheduled to face-off with Jameson Taillon, but the veteran right-hander is now the probable starter for tonight’s Game 2. Instead, the Cubs will turn to Matthew Boyd in Game 1. If there’s any pitcher on the team that can turn the tide, it’s Boyd, who is in the midst of a career-best campaign. The 34-year-old is maintaining a 2.46 ERA and a 3.18 FIP over 142.2 innings of work — easily the most he’s been on the mound since all the way back in 2019. Boyd isn’t going to wow anyone with his velocity or his strikeout ability, yet he’s only conceded more than three earned runs in two of his 24 starts in 2025. That said, one of those two outings was five earned runs against this same Brewers lineup back on July 28.
That’s just how it’s been lately. Ask Paul Skenes. No one can shut down Milwaukee’s bats. In August, the Brewers have easily been the league’s best offensive attack, leading MLB in average (.305), wOBA (.391) and wRC+ (155). Conversely, the Cubs have struggled with the bats this month, sitting dead-last in both ISO (.106) and wRC+ (68) after getting shutout yet again in Monday’s matinee loss. Kyle Tucker hasn’t hit a home run since July 19 and his struggles are weighing very heavily on the rest of Chicago’s lineup. The soon-to-be free agent needs to be better. In fact, according to Craig Counsell, Tucker will get a few days off this week in an attempt to re-set the All-Star and get him going at the dish. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.
Brewers at Cubs pick, best bet
Best Bet: Brewers ML (+127)
Doubleheaders are weird. Generally speaking, I’m drawn to the underdog in these unique circumstances. It helps when that underdog has by far the best record in MLB.
Strong Lean: Cubs Under 3.5 Runs (-105)
Chad Patrick is legitimately good and the Cubs haven’t hit for any power across the past three weeks.
