The Cubs host Milwaukee’s surging crew in a five-game tilt that could reshape the NL wild-card landscape. Milwaukee carries momentum as the hottest team in baseball, while Chicago tries to keep pace in a tight playoff race. Expect the Brewers’ offense to lean on Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio when available, and a mix of veteran and rookie bats like Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins to support the lineup. Milwaukee’s rotation anchors—Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff—are complemented by a rising group (Misiorowski, Priester, Quintana) that has kept hitters off balance. The Cubs counter with a TBD-heavy series, but Cade Horton and Shōta Imanaga are the sort of young arms capable of flipping games in Chicago’s favor. The series could swing tiebreaker scenarios and set the tone for a late-season stretch, culminating in a nine-game road trip that follows. In short: big hitters, promising pitching, and a postseason-sized vibe in each game.

Fantasy implications sit squarely with Milwaukee’s offense humming behind Yelich and Frelick, plus Durbin and Collins offering cheap pop in deeper leagues. For Chicago, Horton and Imanaga provide intriguing two-stretch upside, while the Cubs chase runs against a Brewers bullpen that has been sturdy lately. Watch how the Brewers’ elite righty duo fares against a Cubs lineup that’s facing RH streaks; the series folds into October-like pressure, with intrigue around lineup construction, risk-reward starts, and bullpen usage in daily fantasy and DFS lineups.

Kyle Tucker sparked a late Cubs rally with a leadoff single in the eighth, then Suzuki delivered an RBI single to break a scoreless tie, followed by Hoerner driving in another on a double. The Cubs hung on for a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh, fueled by seven efficient innings from Shōta Imanaga and a clean, clutch bullpen finish from Brad Keller.

Chicago moved to 13-2 in games following a win after a stretch of frustration, and they tightened their grip on the NL wild-card picture. Javier Assad is set to start Sunday as the Cubs look for the series victory, while Carmen Mlodzinski draws the Pirates again in the finale. The game featured a rare Tucker burst of emotion and a bullpen sequence that kept Pittsburgh at bay late.

From a fantasy lens, Imanaga’s seven innings behind a low-yrmpathn bullpen arms his stock as a streamer, while Tucker, Suzuki, and Hoerner each delivered run-producing actions that can translate into short-term value when the Cubs rally in big moments.

Seiya Suzuki delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kyle Tucker kicked off the scoring sequence by singling and swiping second base before Suzuki’s grounder to center plated him. Nico Hoerner added a two-out RBI double after an intentional pass to Ian Happ. Shota Imanaga spun seven strong innings for the Cubs, and Brad Keller closed it out to seal the win.

The Cubs finally snapped a skid, getting three runs from a lineup that has often been held in check this month. Pittsburgh’s offense was limited to a Tommy Pham homer and a handful of opportunities, with rookie Mike Burrows going five innings and Evan Sisk exiting after one, leaving the Pirates to rue missed chances in a tight ballgame. The series concludes with Cubs ace-in-waiting Javier Assad taking the ball for Chicago and Carmen Mlodzinski opening for Pittsburgh, signaling more bullpen depth will be tested in game three.

Fantasy angles center on Suzuki’s late-game power and Tucker’s baserunning pace in a run-heavy back-end of the lineup, while Imanaga’s seven-inning gem underscores Chicago’s ongoing confidence in the lefty. For Pittsburgh, Pham’s homer provides a spark, but the offense will need more sustained production from the top of the order as the Pirates lean on Burrows’ five innings and a deeper bullpen to cover the rest of the series.

The Pirates and Cubs collide in a Saturday matinee at Wrigley as Pittsburgh sends Mike Burrows to the mound against Shota Imanaga for Chicago. Burrows helped snap a five‑game skid for his club with Friday’s 3‑2 win, but Pittsburgh has dropped four of five lately. Imanaga comes in with strong run prevention and a high strikeout ceiling, fresh off a productive stretch in which he’s posted sub‑3.20 ERAs and whiff totals that fantasy managers crave. The over/under sits at 8.5, and SportsLine’s model leans into Imanaga’s strikeout upside and Burrows’ mid‑rotation floor, while weekend props spotlight Kyle Tucker, Bryan Reynolds and Imanaga’s K pace.

For fantasy players, leverage Imanaga’s ceiling in this lefty‑duel setup and target Pirates bats with caution when Burrows is on the bump. The model’s three top bets—Tucker under 1.5 total bases, Reynolds over 0.5 hits, and Imanaga over 5.5 strikeouts—underscore the game’s mix of power, contact and strikeout potential. With Chicago’s offense scuffling and Pittsburgh’s bullpen depth a factor, daily lineups should tilt toward the talent edge and defensive settings at Wrigley.

In a 3-2 grind in St. Louis, Chicago’s offense produced a handful of loud moments but came up short in the late innings. Matt Shaw’s two-run homer to erase an early 2-0 deficit set the tone, and Nico Hoerner added multi-hit base hits, yet the Cubs couldn’t push the go-ahead run across in the ninth. Eight Cubs hits and a trio of walks couldn’t overcome a tight Cardinals bullpen and clean late single from Nolan Gorman. Despite elite early stuff from Shōta Imanaga, the Cubs left more on the table than their stat line would suggest, with just two runs scoring on eight hits and one error by the Cards helping tilt the balance in a one-run decision.

The loss tightens the chase for a wild-card spot as Chicago heads to Toronto. The series outlook comes with Miguel Amaya’s return on the horizon and rotation shifts nudging toward Taillon and Javier Assad soon, which could reshape the Cubs’ late-season rotation. With a 1.5-game cushion on the Padres for the top wild-card, every run and decision matters as they navigate health and bullpen depth over the next 6–7 weeks. The bullpen (including JoJo Romero’s save) and the tactical eighth-inning calls will be under the microscope as Chicago eyes the postseason.

Brad Keller’s one-inning push as the hero for St. Louis and Nolan Gorman’s seventh-inning RBI provided the decisive edge, while Carson Kelly supplied three hits in a critical win. The Cubs will need to replicate the offensive tempo they showed in bursts and solve the late-inning touches that slipped away in this one, because every game in this window could tilt a wildcard outcome.