Jacob Misiorowski (8-3, 1.45 ERA) takes the hill at 6:45 PM CT, and the number at the top of his line is not a typo. He leads the majors in ERA, FIP, WHIP, and strikeouts — a combination only Sandy Koufax in 1965 and Mike Scott in 1986 have pulled off over the past century. On the other side is Colin Rea (5-5, 4.99 ERA), who has thrown more innings than anyone else in the Cubs rotation this season simply because the pitchers who were supposed to start have all been hurt.
Both clubs enter riding 4-game win streaks, though the standings gap tells the bigger story. Milwaukee is 49-29 and holds roughly a 6.5-game lead in the NL Central. Chicago is 44-37 and genuinely alive in the race, but they will need a lot to go right in a series where the Brewers already battered them 19-5 across a 3-game May sweep at Wrigley.
The Cubs' form coming in is real. They swept all 4 games of the New York series — including a doubleheader Wednesday where Dansby Swanson posted 11 RBIs, setting a Cubs franchise record. Swanson hit a 3-run homer and a grand slam in the opener, then drove in 4 more in the nightcap. Pete Crow-Armstrong has also been locked in. The problem is that torching Mets pitching does not translate to facing the hottest starter in baseball, and Misiorowski has posted a 0.45 ERA over his last 9 starts, throwing shutouts in 6 of them.
- Day-To-DayJaxon Wiggins SP — The Cubs announced Wednesday that Wiggins (elbow) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions and facing hitters at the organization's complex in Arizona and could soon be ready to pitch in games, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Birdsell RP — Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 15-Day-ILBen Brown RP — Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Brown has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck and will have limited activity for the next month, 104.3 The Score reports.
- 15-Day-ILEdward Cabrera SP — Cabrera was diagnosed with a moderate-grade left hamstring strain Wednesday following an MRI and is without a return timeline, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
- 15-Day-ILRiley Martin RP — The Cubs announced June 10 that Martin (elbow) has resumed playing catch, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDaniel Palencia RP — Palencia was diagnosed with a mild flexor strain in his right arm Saturday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJameson Taillon SP — Taillon (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILJustin Steele SP — Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Tuesday in a radio appearance that he doesn't expect Steele (elbow) to rejoin the major-league rotation this season, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrandon Lockridge LF — Lockridge's timeline for a return has been pushed back to late July after imaging showed a chondral flap in his right patella, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILJared Koenig RP — The Brewers are expected to activate Koenig (elbow) from the 15-day injured list at some point during their weekend series with the Cubs, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDL Hall RP — Hall (pectoral) hopes to gain clearance to resume throwing during a checkup Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILColeman Crow SP — Crow (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILLogan Henderson SP — Henderson (back) is aiming to begin a rehab assignment Sunday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodriguez RP — The Brewers placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list Monday due to a right shoulder impingement, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILRob Zastryzny RP — The Brewers reinstated Zastrzyny (shoulder/ribs) from the 60-day injured list Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILQuinn Priester SP — Priester will undergo thoracic outlet compression surgery on Monday and is expected to be sidelined 8-to-10 months, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The injury report explains everything about why Rea is starting tonight. Justin Steele is done for the year. Jameson Taillon won't be back until after the All-Star break. Cade Horton, Porter Hodge, Shelby Miller, and Brandon Birdsell are all finished for 2026. Edward Cabrera just landed on the IL with a hamstring strain. Ben Brown is out a month with a neck stress reaction. Rea's last outing — 5.1 shutout innings against Toronto — was encouraging, but he has allowed 12 home runs in 15 appearances this year, and Craig Counsell has publicly said the Cubs need more from him. The Brewers are also expected to activate reliever Jared Koenig off the IL during this weekend series, which gives Milwaukee a fresher bullpen to work with.