Brewers 7, Cubs 3: Last strikes

October 7, 2025|In Brewers

Brewers 7, Cubs 3: Last strikes

October 7, 2025|In Brewers

Brewers 7, Cubs 3: Last strikes

Milwaukee has pushed the Chicago Cubs to the brink of elimination following a 7-3 win on Monday night in Game 2 of the NLDS.

Play of the Game:

Following a three-run first inning by the Cubs it appeared the Brewers would not be able to answer like they did in Game 1. Chicago starter Shota Imanaga looked to be cruising right along, striking out the first two batters he faced. But a pair of singles allowed Andrew Vaughn to step to the plate and he delivered a 3-run shot — his first homer since the middle of August.

What Went Right

The long ball

The narrative around this Brewers team is it can’t hit home runs. That was certainly the case during the regular season when they finished 22nd in the majors in that category. But on Monday night it was all about the long ball for the Crew. In addition to Vaughn’s shot, William Contrerras hit a solo bomb to give Milwaukee the lead and then Jackson Chourio broke the game open with a 3-run homer of his own. All three of them came with two outs.

The bullpen

After a shaky first inning saw the Cubs score three runs, the Brewers bullpen locked things down. Chicago didn’t score again and had just three base runners over the final 7.1 innings. Rookie Jacob Misiorowski got the longest stint, going three innings and striking out four. Trevor Megill took care of the final two outs in the eighth inning before Abner Uribe struck out the side in the ninth.

What Went Wrong:

The opener

Manager Pat Murphy elected to go with Aaron Ashby as his opener and it didn’t go well, as the Cubs scored three runs in the first inning thanks to a Seiya Suzuki home run. Ashby would end up getting just five outs before turning things over to the bullpen.

What They Said

Vaughn after hitting his game-tying 3-run homer in the first inning

“I think the biggest thing there was just taking an at-bat for the team right there. Going in there, having my best at-bat, trying to swing the momentum our way. It did and I felt it from the fans. That was amazing.”

Murphy on what has made this team successful

“We’ve just got a good collection of guys that are happy they’re in the big leagues. I call them cliffhangers — guys that don’t know if their locker is going to be there when they get back to the deal. That’s a fun thing. That hunger makes us look like we know what we’re doing. It’s pretty cool.”

In Case You Missed It

— The Brewers had three people throw ceremonial first pitches: Former closer Trevor Hoffman, three-time team MVP Cecil Cooper and Bob Uecker Jr., the son of the legendary announcer

— Jackson Chourio now has three postseason home runs, tied for the third-most in team history. Only Prince Fielder and Orlando Arcia have more with four.

— Monday’s game featured the first time both teams hit 3-run homers in the first inning of a postseason game

— Milwaukee leads the series 2-0. The last time a team rallied to win a best-of-five series after going down 0-2 was in 2017. In total, 10 teams have pulled it off.

— Chicago’s starting pitchers have given up the same number of runs (10) as outs they’ve recorded

What’s next?

Milwaukee (2-0) will look to finish the series off in Game 3 on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. First pitch is at 4:08 p.m.

Related Posts