The Milwaukee Brewers are entering an important series against their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs.
The Milwaukee Brewers are set to visit the Chicago Cubs on Monday to kick off a three-game series. Here is what you should know heading into it:
A Battle Atop the Division
Monday will mark the first time the Brewers will meet the Cubs this season, and the stakes between the two National League Central Division rivals are high.
After falling to last place in the highly-competitive NL Central just weeks ago, the Brewers have experienced a resurgence that has resulted in an 8-2 record over their last 10 games. Their recent stretch of winning has propelled them to second place in the division, just behind the division leaders in the Cubs.
Meanwhile, Chicago still sits atop a group of five teams in the NL Central in which none have a losing record, but the Cubs have displayed struggles lately and have lost six of their last eight games after ripping off a 10-game winning streak. Now the Brewers are just a game and a half behind Chicago for first place.
The series will offer Milwaukee a chance to reclaim first place in the division, a position it has not held since much earlier in the season.
The Pitching Battle
The Brewers are expected to give right-hander Brandon Sproat the starting nod. Meanwhile, the Cubs will hand the ball to Shota Imanaga.
Sproat is coming off an outing against the San Diego Padres in which he pitched 5 ⅓ innings and struck out six batters while allowing six hits, three earned runs and two walks. The Brewers won the game, 6-4, and Sproat earned his first winning decision of the season to give him a 1-2 record.
In eight games (six starts) Sproat has logged a 5.75 ERA in 36 innings of work. Meanwhile, Imanaga has a 4-3 record through nine starts and has a 2.32 ERA through 54 ⅓ total innings of work, and he is coming off a loss against the Atlanta Braves.
Players to Watch
For the Brewers, Brice Turang continues to be a star.
The 26-year-old second baseman continues to be a problem for opposing defenses, and it has earned him the fifth-best on-base percentage in Major League Baseball (.409). He is also tied with Atlanta’s Matt Olson for fourth in runs scored (36) heading into Monday’s game.
On Chicago's side, Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to be a threat on the base paths, and he is in a three-way tie for eighth in stolen bases (12). Ian Happ will also be a threat as he leads Chicago with 10 home runs and has the team’s best OPS at .823.
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