Chicago Cubs: Weekend showdown with Milwaukee will decide Central

The Chicago Cubs open a four-game set this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers, looking to put the finishing touches on another NL Central championship.

Time and time again, I’ve said this. Calling anything a ‘must-win’ series is out of character for me, personally. But it’s hard to call this weekend’s Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers series anything other than a must-win. At the very least, it’s a must-split.

Two weekends ago, the Brewers lined up their rotation heading into a series at Wrigley. And they capitalized, sweeping all three games of the weekend set. That sweep breathed life into their division aspirations and dealt a serious blow to the Cubs.

Since then, Chicago ran off a seven-game winning streak – but Milwaukee hung right in with them.  As the Cubs dropped Wednesday’s finale to Tampa Bay, the Brewers finally stuttered, falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Once again, the Brewers’ rotation lines up for the showdown with the reigning World Series champions. Chicago, meanwhile, gets Jake Arrieta back for the opener of what is certainly the most highly-anticipated Cubs-Brewers series in years.