Cubs Fall Short In Game 5 Against Brewers

The Chicago Cubs had quite the run in the 2025 postseason. Getting past the San Diego Padres and then pushing the Milwaukee Brewers to the brink is far more than anyone outside the clubhouse would've predicted — especially given the injuries and flaws this roster battled all year long.

But even a magical run doesn’t soften the blow. When it ends at the hands of a division rival — one of your most bitter enemies — it cuts deeper.

The Cubs lost a winner-take-all Game 5 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night by a final score of 3-1. And it felt like the same headache of a game fans have been watching all season. 

The bullpen did its job, holding Milwaukee to just three runs on six hits. All three were solo home runs — mistakes, sure, but hardly a meltdown. For a team running on fumes with its pitching staff, you couldn’t have asked for much more out of a bullpen game. It just didn’t matter with the way the bats disappeared.

The Bats Went Silent When It Mattered Most

William Contreras opened the scoring with a homer in the first. Seiya Suzuki answered right back in the top of the second to momentarily breathe life into Chicago. But Andrew Vaughn’s blast in the fourth took the lead back for Milwaukee, and Brice Turang added insurance with one more in the seventh. That was all they needed.

From the fourth inning on, the Cubs had one hit. They went silently — especially in a 1-2-3 ninth inning. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, and Matt Shaw combined to go 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. PCA finished the postseason with a .399 OPS. Swanson and Shaw weren’t far behind at .433 and .436. That tells the story as loudly as anything.

The Cubs Need To Respond

This loss should make one thing crystal clear: Jed Hoyer and the Cubs have to do more if they want to keep pace with the Brewers. Milwaukee isn’t just a thorn in their side. They’re a wall that Chicago has to climb if they want to win this division — and more importantly, if they want to win in October.

And here's the thing: the Cubs are fully capable of doing it. They have more resources, more financial pull, and a bigger stage than Milwaukee will ever have. The Ricketts family and Jed Hoyer just watched it play out in real time — the Brewers were simply better. So now the question becomes: What are you going to do about it? How do you close that gap?

Game 5 ended in heartbreak. And with it, the Cubs head back to the drawing board.