Two teams at the top of the NL Central with one game separating them. The Cubs are 29-18, the Brewers are 26-18, and they haven't seen each other since Milwaukee won that 3-2 NLDS in October. Now Pat Murphy's club walks into Wrigley to open a 3-game set.
The pitching matchup is the story. Shota Imanaga has been pitching like a legit ace again — Bleacher Nation noted his ERA dipped to 2.28 after he tossed 7 scoreless against Arizona earlier this month, and he's allowed just 1 run across 13 innings over his last 2 starts. The Brewers, for what it's worth, have hit him historically: he's 1-3 with a 5.73 ERA in 4 career starts versus Milwaukee.
On the other side, Brandon Sproat is the prospect Milwaukee has been waiting on to click. He opened the year ugly — including 7 earned in 3 innings against the White Sox — but his last outing against San Diego was his first big-league win, and the start before that he went 6 2/3 against Toronto with 6 K's. The cutter/sweeper mix is finally playing. This is also his first career look at the Cubs.
The market sees this exactly how you'd expect with the ERA gap on the mound: Cubs -157 at home, total parked at 10.5. Pinnacle has the run line at -1, which feels right given how thin Sproat's margin has been when he's off.
- Day-To-DayGerson Garabito RP — Garabito will be out for four months after undergoing surgery to address a broken bone in his foot, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- Day-To-DayJ.B. Bukauskas RP — Bukauskas will undergo surgery on his injured right lat and be sidelined for 9-to-10 months, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrandon Lockridge LF — Lockridge is expected to be sidelined until mid-to-late June after an MRI on his right knee showed a bone bruise, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff SP — Woodruff (shoulder) tossed 25 pitches during a bullpen session Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJared Koenig RP — Koenig (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILQuinn Priester SP — Priester (shoulder) will resume a rehab assignment this weekend, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Zerpa RP — Zerpa will undergo UCL reconstruction on his left elbow next week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 60-Day-ILAkil Baddoo LF — Baddoo (quadriceps) will begin a rehab assignment Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Birdsell RP — Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayJeff Brigham RP — Brigham was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, retroactive to April 6, with a left oblique strain, TwinsDaily.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJaxon Wiggins SP — Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Wiggins was placed on Triple-A Iowa's 7-day injured list Wednesday due to right elbow inflammation, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatthew Boyd SP — Boyd (knee) is scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday and is on track for a full bullpen session next week, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
- 15-Day-ILRiley Martin RP — Martin has been diagnosed with flexor strain in his left elbow and is expected to miss eight weeks, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
- 15-Day-ILCaleb Thielbar RP — The Cubs placed Thielbar on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left hamstring strain.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Harvey RP — The Cubs moved Harvey (triceps) from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILJustin Steele SP — Manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Steele's (elbow) setback will keep him sidelined until after the All-Star break, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Both staffs are dealing with chaos behind the starters. The Cubs are without Justin Steele (out past the All-Star break), Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, plus a half-dozen relievers. Milwaukee is still missing Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester, both inching back on rehab. Whoever's bullpen blinks first probably loses the series — and tonight is a fine night to find out which one it is.