Cubs @ Brewers (Game 48)
The Cubs staged a 9th inning come-from-behind victory against Josh Hader last night to even the series at 1-1. That victory also pushed the Brewers to 5 back in the division and held the Cardinals at 3 back. Heyward was the hero, smashing a go-ahead 3-run homer and Vargas followed up with an solo shot for insurance prompting me to wonder if Vargas might actually be good for something on a team stacked with 2nd base depth. Meanwhile, Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs' bullpen deserve credit for keeping the game close for 8 innings, and Kimbrel managed to close it out in the 9th. Perhaps the offense can lead the way today and take some pressure off of a Cubs' bullpen that has been surprisingly effective in September.CHC (27-20): RHP Alec Mills (4-3, 4.74 ERA)
MIL (20-23): RHP Adrian Houser (1-4, 5.48 ERA)
First pitch 1:10 pm central
Following a string of pedestrian starts, Mills most recently earned a victory on the back of 6 shutout innings vs. Cincinnati. He lost to Milwaukee on Aug. 14, allowing 4 earned runs in 6 innings; it was not exactly a bad start, as he did strike out 7 and only walked 1 and allowed 5 hits across those six innings. Christian Yelich tagged him for a 3-run homerun.
Adrian Houser has allowed 25 runs across his last 30.2 innings (6 starts). He earned no decision in a start at Wrigley on Aug. 15 in which he allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings. It's been death by BABIP much of the time for Houser, as he's suppressed hard contact and kept his walk rate at a reasonable level. Current Cubs boast a slash line of .304/.356/.587 against him in 67 at-bats. Anthony Rizzo has lead the way at 4-9 with a homer and zero strikeouts, and Heyward has backed him up admirably at 3-11 with a double, a triple, and a homerun. Houser really has only had success against Caratine (0-6) and Baez (1-7 with 2 strikeouts) among current Cubs hitters.
Following the game, the Cubs will return to Chicago for an off-day and then a 5-game homestand.
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