Brewers score 9-5 win after Cubs chase Misiorowski early
The Brewers score piled up after Chicago’s early surge, and Milwaukee beat the Cubs 9-5 at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. Chicago chased Jacob Misiorowski with five runs in two innings, but Milwaukee’s bullpen and bats flipped the game. The loss dropped the Cubs nine games back in the NL Central.
Key Takeaways
- The final Brewers score was 9-5, answering Chicago’s early attack on Misiorowski.
- Alex Bregman’s homer and two-run single helped the Cubs plate five runs in the first two innings.
- Misiorowski exited after four innings and 92 pitches with five earned runs, tying a career worst.
- David Peterson couldn’t stop the damage; Milwaukee took a 6-5 lead in the fourth and kept rolling.
- Jacob Webb left after a Christian Yelich liner; X-rays were negative, and Joey Ortiz added a two-run single.
How did the Brewers score after trailing early?
Chicago jumped ahead against a Cy Young contender, but Milwaukee answered throughout the night. According to MLB.com, the Brewers put up early runs against lefty David Peterson, then took the lead for good in the fourth.
With runners on second and third, Brice Turang’s bunt scored Cooper Pratt when catcher Miguel Amaya’s flip to the plate was late. Andrew Vaughn and William Contreras followed with run-scoring singles to make it 6-5. Later, Joey Ortiz’s two-run single off Colin Rea padded the Brewers score after Webb exited.
Why couldn’t the Cubs make the early lead stand?
Pete Crow-Armstrong walked to open the first. Two batters later, Alex Bregman drove a 2-2 slider into the left-field bleachers at 105.5 mph exit velocity. An inning later, Bregman added a two-run single on a 102-mph fastball at the top of the zone.
Those swings produced five runs through two innings—more than Misiorowski had allowed in any of his previous 25 starts this season. Manager Craig Counsell praised the at-bats, but said Milwaukee’s bullpen “put the game in order.” Peterson, meanwhile, struggled to finish innings after two-out trouble and a Jackson Chourio homer.
Third baseman Alex Bregman summed up the night bluntly: Milwaukee is a really good club, and Chicago didn’t execute in all phases.
What went wrong for Jacob Misiorowski?
Misiorowski threw 92 pitches over four innings, walked four, struck out five, and allowed five earned runs—tying his career high from a July 2025 start against the Mets. USA Today reported his fastball still averaged 100.9 mph, slightly above his season mark, so fatigue was not the simple story.
Usage told a different tale. He threw the four-seamer only 48% of the time (down from 64%) and leaned on a cutter at 36% (versus a usual 14%). When he did throw heaters, he found the zone just 39% of the time. He still generated 13 swinging strikes, but the Cubs forced the early exit.
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Where does this leave the NL Central race?
The defeat pushed Chicago nine games behind in the National League Central. With the Phillies also losing Wednesday, the Cubs remained one game behind the NL’s top Wild Card spot. Milwaukee remains a persistent problem for the North Siders as September begins.
Counsell’s club showed it can dent elite velocity when pitches get down in the zone. Sustaining leads against a Brewers lineup that keeps answering—and a bullpen that closed this one out—is the next hurdle if Chicago wants that Wild Card path to hold.