The Cubs are at Milwaukee on Monday afternoon, first pitch 2:10 p.m. ET at American Family Field. It is on Marquee Sports Network in Chicago and Brewers.TV in Milwaukee, with MLB.TV covering everyone else. Matthew Boyd starts for Chicago against Robert Gasser, the same pair that met last Tuesday.
| First pitch | 2:10 p.m. ET, 1:10 p.m. CT, Monday, September 7 |
| Ballpark | American Family Field, Milwaukee |
| TV | Marquee Sports Network in Chicago, Brewers.TV in Milwaukee |
| Streaming | MLB.TV out of market. Blacked out in market, where you need the regional feed |
| Starters | Matthew Boyd (8-3, 4.05) vs. Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.57) |
| Odds | Milwaukee around -126, Chicago around +105 |
| Stakes | Milwaukee leads the division by seven. Its magic number to clinch is 12 |
What time is Cubs vs. Brewers and what channel is it on?
2:10 p.m. ET, which is 1:10 p.m. in both Chicago and Milwaukee. It is a Labor Day matinee and there is no national broadcast, so it is a regional game in both markets: Marquee Sports Network for Cubs viewers and Brewers.TV for Milwaukee. Anyone outside those territories can watch on MLB.TV, where in market games stay blacked out.
The Same Two Starters, Six Days Later
Boyd and Gasser both last pitched on Tuesday, against each other. Neither was especially sharp. Boyd went five and a third and gave up three earned runs; Gasser went four and a third and gave up two.
Boyd has been the steadier of the two across the season at 8-3 with a 4.05 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and seven quality starts in 18 tries. The more useful number is his durability: Monday would be his 13th consecutive start of at least five innings, which for a 35 year old on a team managing a bullpen into October is worth as much as the ERA.
Gasser is 27, makes his 17th start, and has struck out 82 in 86 and two thirds innings with opponents hitting .251. He is looking for his fifth quality start of the year, which is the number that explains why Milwaukee is only a modest favorite at home.
The Division Is Not Quite Over
Milwaukee at 88 and 56 has the best record in baseball and a seven game lead with 18 to play, and its magic number to clinch the NL Central is 12. That is comfortable. It is not finished.
The reason to pay attention is the direction of travel. The Brewers have lost two straight, are 5-5 over their last 10 and have been outscored by five runs in that stretch. The Cubs are also 5-5 over the same span but have outscored their opponents by 13, which is the sort of split that says one offense is still working and the other is not.
Chicago at 81 and 63 holds the top National League wild card spot regardless, so the Cubs are playing for seeding rather than survival. Milwaukee is playing to hold the best record in baseball and the first round bye that comes with it, with Los Angeles two games back and Atlanta three.
Who Is Swinging Well
Pete Crow-Armstrong is at 40 home runs with 28 doubles, which is the headline for a Chicago offense that is 65-13 this season when it scores at least five runs. Tyrone Taylor has been the hotter bat lately, 15 for 30 with four doubles, a home run and seven RBI over his last 10 games, and Alex Bregman is in the middle of the order.
Milwaukee leans on Jackson Chourio, who has 21 home runs and a .478 slugging percentage, and Brice Turang with 17 homers and 31 doubles. William Contreras catches. The supporting cast has cooled at an awkward moment.
The Bottom Line
Cubs at Brewers starts at 2:10 p.m. ET Monday on Marquee Sports Network and Brewers.TV, with MLB.TV for everyone out of market. Matthew Boyd faces Robert Gasser in a rematch of last Tuesday. Milwaukee can shrink its magic number to 11 with a win; Chicago can cut a seven game deficit to six and keep the division alive for another week.