Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton left Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning with a blister.

The Brewers lead the Cubs by nine games in the National League Central Division and, because it's the last series between the teams in the regular season, the Cubs face a must-win situation to keep the Brewers from running away with the division title.

The Brewers (-114 moneyline odds to win) and the Cubs (-105) will square off in a projected close contest. The matchup on the mound for this contest is set with the Milwaukee Brewers looking to Brandon Woodruff (4-0),

Jameson Taillon pitched six effective innings in his return from a calf injury, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 for a sweep of their split doubleheader.

Expert recap and game analysis of the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs MLB game from August 18, 2025 on ESPN.

One of their most impressive wins during that franchise-record 14-game win streak came on Friday night. The Brewers faced an 8-1 deficit after two innings against the Reds and clawed their way back on the strength of two homers and five RBI from Christian Yelich — doing so while using his customized Bob Uecker bat for player’s weekend.

Generally speaking, I start eyeing a topic for the Power Rankings intro around Friday. Last Sunday, though, I told myself one thing was off-limits: I'm not writing on the Brewers again. I had done so two straight weeks and three of the last four.

The Milwaukee Brewers remain the hottest team in baseball in August, losing just one game all month, as the Philadelphia