The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers will wrap up their important three-game series on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. The two teams have split the first two games of the series after the Cubs won game two by a score of 3-0. This is the final game between these two division rivals this season.
The Cubs and Brewers are the two best teams in the National League and are battling for the National League Central Division crown. With the win on Tuesday night, the games increased their lead to two games over the Brewers. The Cubs are now three games up in the loss column as well. The Cubs are -147 over the Brewers in the series finale.
Hendricks Makes Start For Cubs
Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks will start the series finale for the Cubs on Wednesday night. The crafty 28 year-old is 11-10 with a 3.71 earned run average through 29 starts this season. Hendricks has won his last two decisions dating back to August 26, and appears to be finding his groove for the Cubs. He defeated the Brewers in a game on August 15, giving up just four earned runs through six innings in that start.
Ben Zobrist has been carrying the Cubs offense in the month of September. The 37-year-old utility man has his batting average up to .313 which is near the top of the National League. Zobrist has been getting a ton of playing time with Jason Heyward on the 10-day disabled list. Kris Bryant has still not hit a home run since returning at the beginning of September after recovering from shoulder soreness.
Brewers Bullpen Pitching Lights Out
The Milwaukee Brewers bullpen was the best in baseball during the first half of the 2018 season. After going through a slump in the month of August, the bullpen is back to being a strength for the Brewers. All-Stars Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress have been nearly unhittable of late, and preserved the victory for Milwaukee in the series opener. The dynamic duo combined to strike out nine of the final ten batters they faced in that game.
Chase Anderson will make the start for the Brewers on Wednesday night. Anderson has had an up and down season for Milwaukee in 2018, but has been pitching better of late. He has a 9-7 record to go along with a 3.95 earned run average through 28 starts in 2018. Anderson hasn’t lost a decision since being beaten by the Pirates on July 14. The Brewers hope that Anderson can give them a solid start before turning the game over to the bullpen.
Cubs Win Game, Series
The Brewers came into this series with a chance of taking the lead in the NL Central. Milwaukee got off to a great start by winning the series opener, but couldn’t find any offense in game two. The Brewers hope that Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich can provide some offense at the top of the lineup on Wednesday night.
Jose Quintana pitched a great game for the Cubs on Tuesday night, and now it is Kyle Hendricks turn. Hendricks has pitched in a ton of huge games for the Cubs in his career, and he will be sharp in this one. Look for the Cubs offense to break out as well as they will increase their lead in the NL Central. Bet the Cubs -147 over the Brewers in the series finale.
