Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 10/4/25, 10:52 AM  by Lou Aguila | Modified on 10/5/25 at 4:09 AM in MLB Picks

The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs kick off their National League Divisional Series on Saturday at American Family Field.

The Brewers, the NL Central Champion and the top team in the regular-season, are the home favorites at -157 for Game 1 against the Cubs, who are fresh from a hard-fought wild card series against the San Diego Padres.

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The Brewers clinched a spot in the NLDS berth after finishing with a 97-65 record, the best mark in the MLB during the regular season. Milwaukee is potent on both ends throughout the season. They posted the third highest total run tally in the MLB at 806 while parading an outstanding batting split of .258/.332/.403. They also logged the second-best ERA in baseball at 3.58 and maintained a top-10 numbers in WHIP (1.23) and BAA (2.30).

The Cubs conceded the NL Central title to the Brewers by five games, relegating them to the wild card series. Chicago demonstrated exceptional postseason pitching in the three-game series with the Padres. The Cubs, who logged the 9th-best ERA in the regular season at 3.79, surrendered only four earned runs to the Padres. They blanked San Diego 3-0 in Game 1, surrendered three runs in a 0-3 Game 2 loss and held to one run in a gutsy 3-1 victory in the decider.

Starting Pitchers Matchup: Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (14-8, 3.81 ERA) vs. Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.75 ERA)

Matthew Boyd has won his last four starts and carried a 4.74 ERA across his last five mound appearances. In his postseason start against the Padres on September 30, Boyd surrendered one earned run over 4.1 innings to help the Cubs earn a 3-0 win in Game 1. Boyd is 2-1 in his three starts vs. the Brewers this season, averaging 2.3 earned runs over 3.1 innings.

Freddy Peralta hits the mound after getting a well-deserved rest. Peralta collected 17 wins this season and has gone 2-3 with a 3.52 ERA in his last five starts. He posted six scoreless innings in Milwaukee’s 7-0 win against the Cubs on August 18, bouncing back from a dreadful July 30 start (5 earned runs over 4.1 innings) vs. the same team.