NL Divison Series: Observations from Game 2 as the Chicago Cubs are pushed to the brink

ESPN's Jesse Rogers previews the Cubs in the NLDS | Chicago Sports Tonight

The Cubs get a NLDS grudge match with Milwaukee starting Saturday. ESPN's Jesse Rogers joins Tina Nguyen to talk the matchup.

The Chicago Cubs are officially on the brink.

It started so well, as Seiya Suzuki’s three-run blast put the Cubs up 3-0 in the first inning. Just like Saturday, the Cubs homered in the first inning.

It went downhill in the bottom of the first, and slowly slipped from there.

Here are three takeaways from the Cubs’ Game 2 loss to the Brewers.

That pesky third out

If the barrage of runs wasn’t demoralizing as it is, the way the Brewers got them was a punch to the gut.

The Brewers’ first seven runs came with two outs. The Cubs just couldn’t get that last, pesky out to get out of their half of the inning. They all came on home runs, too.

After the Cubs opened the game with a three-run home run, Shota Imanaga got two Brewers out to start the bottom of the first inning. That’s when former White Sox slugger Andrew Vaughn tied the game with a three-run homer of his own.

William Contreras homered with two outs in the third inning. It was a solo homer, but it gave the Brewers the lead.

Then, Jackson Chourio, who was a game-time decision, hit a three-run home run with two outs in the fourth inning that pushed the lead to 7-3.

That third out remained elusive in three innings for the Cubs, and they paid for it.

The Brewers brought their bats

The numbers don’t tell the entire story, but they’re a good frame of comparison.

In the NL Wild Card round, the Padres recorded 18 total hits. In two games, the Brewers eclipsed that with 13 hits in Game 1 and nine more hits in Game 2. That’s 22 hits in two games.

The Brewers also went 9 of 20 from the plate with runners in scoring position. That’s a .450 batting average.

The Brewers weren’t even known to be a home-run-hitting team this season. They ranked 22nd in the MLB during the regular season. Their first three scoring plays on Monday were homers.

It wasn’t just the hits, too. The Brewers prolonged their at-bats, which put pressure on the Cubs’ pitchers. After Aaron Civale went 4.1 innings on Saturday to help keep the Cubs’ bullpen fresh for Monday, the rest was a wash thanks to how disciplined the Brewers were at the plate.

People may lie. Numbers don’t. The Cubs’ pitchers have struggled against Milwaukee.

That struggle comes from the lack of pitching the Cubs have. Justin Steele hasn't pitched since April 7, and Cade Horton was ruled out for the NLDS. 

If those two were available, it would take the pressure off Matthew Boyd and Imanaga. 

The Cubs are on the brink

After being on the brink last week against the Padres in a three-game series, the Cubs are now potentially down to their final game of the 2025 season.

They’re down 0-2. The good news, though, is they get to come back home.

The Cubs have a 50-31 record at Wrigley Field. They’re 4-3 against the Brewers this season at Wrigley.

The Cubs will also most likely pitch Jameson Taillon on Wednesday. Taillon will most likely start and look to continue his postseason momentum after his solid outing against the Padres in last week’s winner-take-all Game 3.