Chicago @ Milwaukee preview
Miller Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2018 ) Chi. Cubs 3, Milwaukee 4
The Milwaukee Brewers won in walk-off fashion to claim the opener of their three-game series against the visiting Chicago Cubs, and they’ll try to tighten the race in the National League Central a little more when the division rivals square off on Tuesday. The Brewers pulled within four games of the Central-leading Cubs with Monday’s 4-3 victory, and with five more meetings with Chicago over the next nine days, they have an opportunity to further narrow the gap.
The Cubs lead the season series 9-5, but the NL wild card-leading Brewers have won four of the last five matchups after Christian Yelich beat out a potential double play at first base to allow the winning run to score in the ninth inning on Monday. "They're very good, and they beat us at the end,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters. “This is what we expect moving forward. When we have the opportunity to win games late with the lead, we have to do that." The Brewers have a chance to keep their hot streak against the Cubs going with Wade Miley on the mound, as he has been their most reliable starter of late. Chicago's Mike Montgomery will try to change his luck against Milwaukee, as he is 1-6 with a 5.24 ERA in 14 career games (five starts) versus the club.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Mike Montgomery (4-4, 3.82 ERA) vs. Brewers LH Wade Miley (2-2, 2.18)
Montgomery will make his second start since coming off the disabled list, and he hopes to be sharper than he was in his return to the rotation. The 29-year-old was tagged for four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision at Atlanta. Montgomery has suffered two losses to the Brewers this season - one in relief and one in a start on June 13, when he allowed just one run and two hits over six frames.
Miley has allowed more than two earned runs in only one of his 11 starts - a no-decision against Colorado on Aug. 5 in which he gave up three over five innings. The 31-year-old is coming off a strong outing at Cincinnati, where he gave up one run and five hits in 7 1/3 frames but did not factor in the decision. Miley is 4-2 with a 4.47 ERA in seven career starts against the Cubs, and he was shelled for seven runs over 4 2/3 innings in the most recent meeting last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs INF Javier Baez has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, batting .381 with five home runs over that span.
2. Yelich has reached base in 20 consecutive games - the longest active streak in the NL - and is batting .311 with nine homers and 23 RBIs during that stretch.
3. The Brewers are tied with St. Louis for the major-league lead with 10 walk-off wins, while the Cubs’ 10 walk-off losses put them behind only Minnesota (12).
PREDICTION: Brewers 4, Cubs 3