Brewers vs. Cubs Game Preview 6/17: Cubs Open Up Three-Gamer Against Brewers
CHICAGO, IL - The Cubs continue the homestand as they open a pivotal three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Ben Brown (3–5) will take the bump and face off against right-hander Chad Patrick (3–6).
Craig Counsell submitted the following lineup: LF Ian Happ will lead off, followed by RF Kyle Tucker and DH Seiya Suzuki. CF Pete Crow-Armstrong will bat cleanup, followed by SS Dansby Swanson and 1B Michael Busch. C Carson Kelly, 2B Nico Hoerner, and 3B Matt Shaw will round out the lineup.
The Cubs are getting their first look at rookie right-hander Chad Patrick, who so far this season has been solid. In 15 appearances, he has posted an ERA of 3.25 with excellent command of his fastball. The right-hander has a five-pitch arsenal: a cutter (44%), four-seamer (24%), sinker (20%), changeup (6%), and a sinker (5%).
While he doesn’t throw fast, Patrick has proven that he can command the zone with an elite fastball, ranking in the top 5% in fastball run value. He rarely generates any ground balls and records most of his outs via strikeouts and fly balls. Will be interesting to see how he fares against a star-studded Cubs lineup.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy countered with the following lineup: RF Sal Frelick will lead off, followed by CF Jackson Chourio and C William Contreras. DH Christian Yelich will bat fourth, followed by 1B Rhys Hoskins and LF Isaac Collins. 2B Brice Turang, 3B Caleb Durbin, and SS Joey Ortiz will complete the order.
Ben Brown has seen his struggles as a starting pitcher, but he has been surgical against the Brewers. In two career appearances against them, Brown pitched a total of 13 innings while giving up no runs. Perhaps this is a prime opportunity for him to get back on track.
Chicago has a chance to pull away in the NL Central standings as they currently sit 5.5 games up on Milwaukee. First pitch at 7:05 p.m. Central Time.