Should Chicago Cubs Reach NLDS, They Will Beat the Brewers

[RavenCub30]

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The so-called "I-94 Rivalry", which pits our Chicago Cubs against the Milwaukee Brewers, is one of the more underrated matchups in baseball. Even in an historic campaign for the Brewers—one no doubt given extra fuel in the wake of the legendary Bob Uecker's passing—the Cubs have more than held their own versus Pat Murphy's club. Pointing to as many examples as you'd like, including the extremely fluky and unfortunate concussion to Owen Caissie, the Cubs have stared down and risen above constant adversity, especially in the second half of 2025. But through persistent ailments, hitting slumps, and other miscellaneous calamities, the North Siders have found their identity, and found their groove, while their foes up across the state line dig through a quickly emptying bag of tricks for more magic. 

While almost certainly on their way to another NL Central title, the Milwaukee Brewers, as many clubs do, have gotten multiple bites from the injury bug. During the course of a marathon 162-game season, attrition is bound to set in, and injuries are inevitable. Having the depth to rest players and recharge both their stamina and their mental health serves any contender toward piecing together the right formula for postseason success. The Brewers' depth is being tested. Trevor Megill became the Crew's new shutdown closer after the offseason departure of Devin Williams. Before going down with a right flexor injury, Megill had racked up 30 saves. I don't care how much good karma or juju you've got as a squad; that's a big number to simply replace with the "next man up". While their starting pitching has been sensational, stars like Freddy Peralta and Jacob Misiorowski have started to reveal vulnerabilities in their game.

For every player the Brewers have on a heater, the North Siders can counter with heat of their own. Forced to rely on a rotating stable of youngsters to come up in clutch situations, boppers like Moises Ballesteros possess a rare, eye-opening presence in the batter's box, delivering massive hits, as he did in the club's recent series against the Tampa Bay Rays. He's supplemented the superb Nico Hoerner, who appears to have late October on his mind. Hoerner and his .353 average with runners in scoring position are extraordinary, and he's not doing it by luck. He has great vision and knows how to really square up the ball. 

If the Cubs win their Wild Card matchup, they're going to have a ball in the NLDS, splashing champagne in either their own home locker room or the visitor's one at American Family Field. Why do I say that with such confidence, bordering on defiance? Because the North Siders are a better team. Where the Brewers have gotten "high off their own supply" since the early days of summer, the Cubs have trudged through every setback put in their way, building a tough muscle memory perfectly suited for playoff baseball. If none of this were enough for you, the Cubs took the season series 7-6 from Milwaukee. The Cubs managed to take 3 of 5 from the Brew Crew in that mid-August, super-sized meeting, and they're closer to full strength now than they were then.

It's late September and we really should be back in school. Here in class, you'd be surprised to find out that it is the Chicago Cubs who are, in fact, the instructor, and the Milwaukee Brewers are the student. While that student is an awfully quick study, the even-keeled, calculated methods of their instructor on the North Side of Chicago, is teaching a masterclass in perseverance and chemistry. Class has started on time, and has Craig Counsell in a surprising advanced placement. There is still so much work to do before making the grade, and the Brewers will be the toughest test yet, but the Cubs will pass the test with flying autumn colors. 

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[tornmeniscus]

This is one of the more fantastically delusional opinion pieces on baseball I've read this year. Sure the cubs might win should they meet in the playoffs. The cubs however ,are not the superior team. The Brewers are and have proven to be over the course of the 162 game marathon. Every obstacle the cubs have encountered this year , the Brewers faced the same if not worse. Winning a playoff series does not make a team better, merely better in that short sample size. 

[gflore34]

13 hours ago, tornmeniscus said:

This is one of the more fantastically delusional opinion pieces on baseball I've read this year. Sure the cubs might win should they meet in the playoffs. The cubs however ,are not the superior team. The Brewers are and have proven to be over the course of the 162 game marathon. Every obstacle the cubs have encountered this year , the Brewers faced the same if not worse. Winning a playoff series does not make a team better, merely better in that short sample size. 

Really?  Have you not read the season long Brewers' fluff pieces on this board?  Should the Cubs make out of the the WC the match up is the their bats vs. the Brewers pitching.  Cubs have a big edge offensively, they can put up runs with one swing of the bat.  Brewers have the edge on the mound there's no denying that point.  One caveat - being it's the post season, the Cubs can tune their staff, no more Ryan Pressly's, Chris Flexen's and Colin Rea's types for the Brewers to exploit.

[Frisbee Slider]

The Cubs have a losing record against teams above .500

[Jason Ross]

20 minutes ago, Frisbee Slider said:

The Cubs have a losing record against teams above .500

The Rangers had a losing record against teams above ,500 in 2023, and they won the WS. In 2022, the Phillies had a losing record against teams above ,500 and they went to the WS. There is plenty of recent data in our current playoff format that dispels this as being a disqualifier. 

[Frisbee Slider]

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

The Rangers had a losing record against teams above ,500 in 2023, and they won the WS. In 2022, the Phillies had a losing record against teams above ,500 and they went to the WS. There is plenty of recent data in our current playoff format that dispels this as being a disqualifier. 

The 2023 World Series between Texas and Arizona was improbable but did occur. The postseason certainly has some randomness.

Since being swept by San Francisco, the Cubs have taken care of business against Colorado, Atlanta, Washington and Pittsburgh.

It will be a fun series at Cincinnati.

[Jason Ross]

23 minutes ago, Frisbee Slider said:

The 2023 World Series between Texas and Arizona was improbable but did occur. The postseason certainly has some randomness.

Since being swept by San Francisco, the Cubs have taken care of business against Colorado, Atlanta, Washington and Pittsburgh.

It will be a fun series at Cincinnati.

The new playoff bracket has increased randomness across the board. Higher seeds are basically a coinflip across the board. No shame to the Brewers, they've won the division (even if only virtually, I struggle to see any path that doesn't lead to that outcome). If the two meet, it would be a fun series regardless. I'm just not that worried about records against teams over or under .500. It's more anecdotal than anything it seems.

[Frisbee Slider]

21 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

If the two meet, it would be a fun series regardless. I'm just not that worried about records against teams over or under .500. It's more anecdotal than anything it seems.

That’s fair. Let’s agree that whichever team advances to the NLCS, it will only be because they were luck merchants 🙂