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Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers weekend preview
The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers kick-off a three-game series Friday night. What should fans expect when the two teams play this weekend?
Wednesday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals was postponed due to rain and rescheduled for Thursday. As a result, the Cubs will have a quick turnaround before their weekend series begins.
Friday, the Cubs will kick off a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs were 11-8 against their division rivals in 2016, including 4-5 on the road.
The Brewers have lost their first two games of the 2017 season, although both games were close. Monday, they lost to the Colorado Rockies 7-5; Tuesday, they lost 6-5.
The Cubs also have played a pair of close games to open their season. After suffering a walk-off 4-3 loss against the Cardinals Sunday, the Cubs won 2-1 Tuesday night. Wade Davis picked up his first save as a member of the Cubs in the win.
Although the Brewers are 0-2, one should not take them lightly so early in the season. If the Cubs lose Thursday, the two teams could have equal records heading into Friday’s game.
Pitcher Brett Anderson will make his Cubs’ debut on Friday night. What pitching matchups should fans expect to see this weekend?
Despite the rain out, the Cubs announced that John Lackey will start Thursday, meaning Anderson is still on schedule to start Friday. In 2016, Anderson appeared in just four games (three starts), so his statistics are a bit skewed. However, he did make 31 starts in 2015, going 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA.
Brewers’ pitcher Jimmy Nelson will oppose Anderson, a matchup that should favor the Cubs. Last season, Nelson went 8-16 (32 starts) with a 4.62 ERA. In 2015, he went 11-13 (30 starts) with a 4.11 ERA.
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While his season as a whole was sub par, Nelson was remarkably better at home than on the road. At home, his ERA was 3.40 in 16 starts, while it was 6.00 in 16 road starts. However, Anderson pitched better on the road (3.07 ERA in 15 starts) in 2015 than at home (4.29 ERA in 16 starts).
Kyle Hendricks will make his 2017 debut on Saturday against Brewers’ pitcher Tommy Milone. Hendricks had an MLB-best 2.13 ERA in 2016 to go along with his 16-8 record.
Milone pitched for the Minnesota Twins in 2016, going 3-5 with a 5.71 ERA in 19 games (12 starts). He pitched two innings of relief on Monday, giving up two runs on three hits.
Sunday’s game is Jon Lester’s turn in the rotation, but Jake Arrieta will be on the mound for the series finale. This allows Lester to pitch against the Dodgers, who have struggled against left-handers over the past season.
Arrieta pitched six innings on Tuesday, giving up one run (no earned) on just four hits. He will be up against Zach Davies.
Tuesday, the Rockies roughed up Davies in his first start of the season. The 24-year-old went just four innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. He did have a successful 2016 season, though, going 11-7 (28 starts) with a 3.97 ERA.
The Cubs and Brewers both have received mixed results from their bullpens to start the season. On Opening Day, the Cubs’ bullpen allowed three runs in 3.2 IP; the next game, they allowed no runs in 3.0 IP.
Similarly, the Brewers’ bullpen allowed five runs in 6.0 IP in their first game only to allow no runs in 4.2 IP the next game. Both teams have a new veteran closer anchoring their relief corps. The Cubs acquired Davis from the Kansas City Royals, while the Brewers signed Neftalí Feliz, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Although the Brewers went 73-89 last season, their bullpen had a similar ERA as the 103-58 Cubs. Milwaukee’s relievers collectively had a 3.61 ERA, while the Cubs’ relievers had a 3.56 ERA. If the start of the season is a sign of things to come, the teams may have similar numbers again.
In addition to this similarity, the Cubs and Brewers each have a reliever capable of starting as well. Milone will start for the Brewers on Saturday after appearing as a reliever on Monday. On the other hand, the Cubs have Mike Montgomery, who appeared in 49 games last season (seven starts) with the Mariners and Cubs.
Between all of these position groups, the Cubs have a definitive advantage over the Brewers with their position players. Their lineup is full of current and potential All-Star players, not to mention “bench players” like Javier Báez.
While the Brewers’ position players have potential, they are not quite equal in skill to the Cubs. The most notable players in their lineup are Ryan Braun and Jonathan Villar. Braun has obviously put together a very successful career, but Villar has had just one superb season (2016).
For the Brewers to beat the Cubs, they will need their lesser-known players to produce offensively. It seems safe to assume that the Cubs’ offense will not have a hard time scoring. If the Brewers’ offense struggles, it will be even hard for them to keep up with the Cubs.
Last season, Brewers’ third baseman Travis Shaw hit 16 home runs with the Boston Red Sox. While he is no Kris Bryant, the Brewers will need his power to produce if Villar and Braun get on base ahead of him.
Another Brewers’ player to watch is outfielder Keon Broxton. Before the All-Star break last season, Broxton hit .125; afterward, he hit .294. With him, Villar, Braun and Shaw, the Brewers’ have a very formidable top of the lineup. All in all, though, the Cubs’ offense should be able to score plenty against the Brewers’ average pitching staff.