The I-94 series gets an October stage in 2025, as the Cubs and Brewers will face off in one of the two NLDS matchups. Milwaukee beat out the Cubs for both the NL Central crown and will look for better after two Wild Card round exits. The Cubs, meanwhile, will look to retain momentum after defeating the Padres in this year’s Wild Card round.
Scheduled Starters and Start Times
- Game 1: Matthew Boyd (Cubs) vs. Freddy Peralta (Brewers)
- Game 2: TBD vs. TBD
- Game 3: TBD vs. TBD
- Game 4: TBD vs. TBD
- Game 5: TBD vs. TBD
Game 1 will air at 2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM CT on October 4. Game 2 is scheduled for 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CT on October 6. Game 2 is scheduled for 5:00 PM ET/4:00 PM ET on the 8th, with Game 5 slated for 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CT on the 9th.
The fifth game, if necessary, will be held on October 11 at 4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT.
All games will air on TBS.
A Look at the Offenses
| Stat |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 793 | 806 |
| Home Runs | 223 | 166 |
| OPS | .751 | .735 |
| Whiff% | 23.6% | 22.5% |
| Hard Hit% | 40.0% | 39.3% |
The NL Wild Card round was a big one for Michael Busch and Carson Kelly. Busch hit .400 with a home run, while Kelly hit .375 with a home run. The two were key cogs in what was a quiet overall series offensively for the Cubs.
It was an abnormally quiet one for Kyle Tucker, who went 0-11 with two strikeouts across the three games.
Chicago will now face the Brewers, a team that the Cubs scored 60 runs (4.6 R/G) against this season. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit very well against the Brewers this season. He had a multi-home run against the team in May, and overall, slashed .279/.365/.698 (1.063 OPS) against the NL Central champions.
The Brewers, meanwhile, were an engine of chaos in 2024. Milwaukee finished in the top five of the league last season in on-base percentage. In 2025? The Brewers were first in the National League in OBP (.332), a key reason why the team was able to score 806 runs, good for third in the Majors.
This is a very patient team, one that doesn’t hack out of the zone too much. Milwaukee’s team chase rate of 25.5% was best in the Majors. But the Brewers can get on base in other ways; Caleb Durbin was hit a NL-high 24 times.
It was a massive season for Christian Yelich, who blasted 29 home runs and had arguably his best overall season since 2019. Yelich was one of seven Brewers to have a double-digit home run campaign.
Brice Turang hit 18 home runs and 48 extra-base hits in a career offensive season. And Jackson Chourio, at the age of 2021, became the youngest player in MLB history to have multiple 20-20 campaigns, was one of several right-handed boppers alongside William Contreras and Andrew Vaughn.
A Look at the Pitching
| Stat | | |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.83 | 3.56 |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.78 | 3.63 |
| Strikeouts | 1,265 | 1,432 |
| Opponents’ AVG | .239 | .230 |
| Chase% | 29.0% | 27.6% |
The Cubs faced arguably the best bullpen in baseball during the Wild Card round. San Diego lived up to the hype, as the Padres’ relief core gave up two earned runs across 16.1 IP while in Chicago. However, the Cubs were able to beat the Padres thanks to their own impressive pitching work.
Chicago’s pitching staff held the Padres to five total runs throughout the Wild Card round. Three of those runs were conceded by Matthew Boyd (1) and Shota Imanaga (2), the latter of whom worked in a bulk relief role in Game 2.
Even though the Cubs didn’t have Cade Horton, it wasn’t a problem at all.
The Cubs will have Boyd start Game 1 of this series.
As for the Brewers, ace Freddy Peralta will get the first game. From there, things will be interesting. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy stated before the series that Brandon Woodruff, on the IL with a lat strain, won’t be available for the NLDS.
It’s a big blow, especially since Woodruff (.252 wOBA) gets so much swing-and-miss with his fastball and secondary stuff.
Milwaukee’s bullpen is deep, led by Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, and a now-healthy Trevor Megill. Flamethrowing rookie Jacob Misiorowski worked out of the bullpen (2.1 IP thrown on September 27) in his final regular-season outing.
Our Prediction
If the Brewers can get the kind of pitching they have for much of 2025, Milwaukee can get through to the NLCS. However, the Cubs have the depth to beat the Brewers in a series like this.
We’ll take the Cubs.
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