Cubs at Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers get one more chance to face the team holding the second wild card in a head-to-head meeting before the end of the regular season, and that happens this weekend. The Brewers will try to shave a game off their wild card deficit when they host the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday.
Milwaukee enters the series four games behind the Cubs in the standings but took two of three at Chicago last weekend and opened its six-game homestand by splitting a pair of games against American League power Houston. "We want meaningful games after this, and there's going to be," Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters. "It's going to be a good series, man. We've got to win games. The Cubs aren't the only team in this thing. They're one of the teams we have to beat, and this is a chance to do it head to head." Chicago tuned up for the series by sweeping a two-game set from the Seattle Mariners by a combined 11-2 score and is still trying to chase down first-place St. Louis in the NL Central while holding off a slew of teams in the wild card race. Milwaukee will send right-hander Chase Anderson to the mound on Thursday while the Cubs counter with lefty Jose Quintana.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Chicago, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jose Quintana (12-8, 3.90 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Chase Anderson (6-4, 4.58)
Quintana earned the lone win for Chicago against Milwaukee last weekend by scattering four hits across 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The Colombia native surrendered two or fewer earned runs in five of his last six outings but failed to complete six frames in either of the last two turns. Quintana is making his sixth start of the season against the Brewers and went 2-2 with a 5.54 ERA in the first five.
Anderson is battling through some inconsistency and followed up five scoreless innings against Arizona on Aug. 24 by getting knocked around for five runs on seven hits in four frames at Chicago on Friday. The 31-year-old was ripped for 10 runs on nine hits - three homers - over 2 1/3 innings at Washington on Aug. 18 and did not complete six innings in any of his last five outings. Anderson allowed eight runs and 12 hits in 12 innings across three games - two starts - versus the Cubs in 2019.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs C Willson Contreras (hamstring) came off the injured list on Tuesday and went 2-for-3 with a home run.
2. Milwaukee 3B Mike Moustakas (wrist) sat out five of the last seven games and is questionable for Thursday.
3. Chicago 3B-OF Kris Bryant (knee) sat out Tuesday and is day-to-day.