Two weeks ago, the Chicago Cubs experienced their second 10-game winning streak this season. Yet, their fortune changed swiftly. After a 5-2 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, the Cubs find themselves knocked off the top spot in the National League Central standings for the first time since April 30. They have suffered four straight losses and won only two of their last ten games. On Wednesday, the Cubs aim to avoid a sweep at Wrigley Field.
Outfielder Ian Happ commented on the team’s performance, stating, “Every year has periods like that. If our record today came from winning each series, it would feel different, more consistent. There’s pros and cons to winning streaks, but overall we’re nine games over .500 and in a good spot. If someone told us this would be our record now, everyone would be okay with it. So we move on and focus on tomorrow.”
The Cubs’ offense struggled once more, a frustrating issue in their downturn. Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers’ right-hander, allowed just three hits and walked one while striking out eight over six innings. The Cubs had an early chance in the first inning. Nico Hoerner walked, and Michael Busch reached on an error. However, Misiorowski responded by getting Alex Bregman to fly out and striking out Happ and Seiya Suzuki to end the inning. Chicago failed to place another runner in scoring position until the eighth inning.
“I thought we took some good swings and just missed some balls, and then he got locked in,” said manager Craig Counsell. “He pumps tons of strikes, so you have to be aggressive. Hitting with two strikes, you’re in trouble.”
Despite the loss, starting pitcher Ben Brown’s performance offered some encouragement. In the fourth inning, he demonstrated crucial development. Previously, a good outing for Brown might unravel within one inning. The Cubs aim to reduce this volatility with a sinker and a changeup to complement his fastball-curveball mix. After Brown’s back-to-back shutout starts against the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves, he faced a stern test against the Brewers.
In the first three innings, Milwaukee scored three runs, and they appeared set to widen the gap in the fourth. A few fielding mishaps put Brown in a tough spot. Nevertheless, with his back against the wall, Brown struck out two batters and forced a groundout, keeping the scoreline at 3-0.
“I thought Ben made some pretty good pitches,” Counsell said. “He’s got the strikeout in him, which is crucial, and he showed that by getting us out of situations that kept us in the game. Ben’s making progress. I was very pleased with the progress he’s made.”
Brown completed five innings, allowing three runs, putting his season ERA at 2.09, and offered the Cubs a fighting chance. “I feel I limited the damage well,” Brown noted. “There’s room to improve, but overall, I was pleased with the execution.”
Misiorowski’s dominance, though, was hard to overcome. His fastball, averaging 99.6 mph and reaching 101.5 mph, tallied 14 called strikes, six whiffs, and six strikeouts. The Cubs could only place one runner in scoring position against him. Happ remarked, “One unique thing about a guy throwing 100-plus is you don’t have to be too fine if it’s in the zone. That’s why he’s been effective.”
While the Cubs had late-inning opportunities, Misiorowski’s powerful pitching stymied their efforts. In the eighth, they managed to score, yet left many runners stranded. “We’ve got 115 games to go,” Counsell stated. “They beat us the first two games — flat out. We’ve got to come out tomorrow and try to salvage a game.”
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