There’s not exactly a ton of drama in the NL Central standings.
After Monday’s 4-3 victory, the Brewers own a commanding eight-game lead over the Cubs with the tie-breaker in hand. Chicago’s real battle appears to be with the Phillies, to see who will get home field advantage in a Wild Card round matchup.
With all that said, Jacob Misiorowski is pitching this evening, so this is still appointment viewing. Let’s dive into this divisional rivalry and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cubs vs. Brewers prediction, preview
It would be incorrect to suggest that Jacob Misiorowski has pitched poorly since the All-Star Game, but I think it would be fair to say that the right-hander has looked slightly more mortal. It’s a span where Misiorowski is in possession of a 2.86 ERA over 44.0 innings. It’s also a span that includes the 24-year-old’s most recent outing, ironically enough, against this same Cubs squad. On September 2, Misiorowski had arguably his worst start of 2026, allowing five earned runs, five hits and four walks across four innings of work. However, the Cy Young frontrunner touched 102.4 mph with his fastball in the proceedings, so I don’t think this is a case of Misiorowski hitting a wall. It was simply a bad day — a day he’ll try and make amends for this evening.
It’s not hard to understand why a pitcher would have an underwhelming performance against Chicago, either. In the season’s second-half, the Cubs have been, without question, the top offense in the sport. It’s a stretch where the club leads MLB in batting average (.266), ISO (.204), wOBA (.354) and wRC+ (126) — and in some of those categories, it isn’t particularly close. Obviously, the heroics of MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong have been leading the charge, but let’s not overlook Alex Bregman’s contributions. After inking a massive contract this winter, Bregman started slow with his new team. It was cause for concern at the time, yet that’s no longer in any Chicagoan’s mind. Since the Midsummer Classic, Bregman is slashing .302/.378/.604. His 169 wRC+ is the second-highest qualified mark in the league dating back to the All-Star break, trailing only… Pete Crow-Armstrong (170). Funny how that works.
It’s also worth remembering that the Brewers did not end up losing that rough Misiorowski start on September 2, as David Peterson had a far worse appearance for the Cubs. Over 3.2 innings, the lefty surrendered seven hits and walked four on his way to allowing a ghastly six earned runs. In general, Peterson’s been quite solid for Chicago since coming over in a mid-season trade with the Mets, but for 2026 as a whole, the veteran does own a 5.39 ERA and a 4.96 xERA. Due to his control issues and inability to consistently retire right-handed bats, Peterson is prone to a blow-up on occasion. We’ll see if he can rebound in this rematch.
Cubs vs. Brewers pick, best bet
Best Bet: Over 7.5 (+102)
Both of these teams rank top five since the All-Star break in expected wOBA and wRC+. Without question, these are two of the best lineups in baseball. The presence of Jacob Misiorowski is daunting, but Milwaukee could also handle a majority of the workload by itself with David Peterson and his 5.39 ERA on the mound for Chicago.
Strong Lean: Jackson Chourio 2+ Total Bases (+109)
Chourio has hit LHPs well all season long, with a .211 ISO and a 135 wRC+ within the split. In his career against specifically Peterson, Chourio is 5-for-11 (.455) with two home runs and a double.
