The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers begin a three-game series on Monday, with both teams tied for first place in the National League Central.
At 62-43, the Cubs and Brewers are tied for the best record in the NL.
The series opener has the potential to be an instant classic; Chicago’s Matthew Boyd takes on Milwaukee’s rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski.
Both Boyd and Misiorowski were selected to their first All-Star Game this season.
Boyd, 34, is 11-3 with a 2.20 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 20 starts this season. Misiorowski, 23, is 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in six starts this season.
The rookie sensation has dominated teams so far and will face the Cubs for the first time in his young career.
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The second game of the series features an interesting matchup between Chicago’s Colin Rea and Milwaukee’s Quinn Priester.
Rea, 35, has had an up and down season but has looked solid in four of his last five starts. Priester, 24, is getting his first real shot as a starter in Major League Baseball.
Priester has had an excellent season for Milwaukee and his 101.2 innings pitched is the most in his career by double.
The series finale is a showdown between Chicago’s Shota Imanaga and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta.
Imanaga, 31, has had a good season with the Cubs after being an All-Star his rookie year. He was touched up by the Chicago White Sox in his last start and hasn’t pitched well against the Brewers in two career starts.
Peralta, 29, has been nothing but consistent with Milwaukee and has great numbers against the Cubs.
Their offenses are completely different. The Cubs rely on hitting home runs, while the Brewers focus on small ball.
Five everyday Cubs have an OPS north of .800, while the Brewers have zero. Both teams like to run the bases, so this series should feature a lot of stolen base attempts.
This series will be fun, with first place and bragging rights hanging in the balance.
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