Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/26/2026

Game Time: 7:45 pm ET, Friday, June 26, 2026

Venue:  American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI 

Where to Watch:  Apple TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +218, Brewers -271; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +220, Brewers -275; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +220, Brewers -275; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Chicago Cubs:  43-37 (3rd place, NL Central)

Milwaukee Brewers:  49-29 (1st place, NL Central)

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Chicago Cubs:  7-3 last 10

Milwaukee Brewers:  7-3 last 10

The Cubs split their 2-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 1-1. They enter this game with a 43-37 record overall and have a road record of 20-20. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Brewers on Friday with the series finale of their series against the New York Mets still to be played on Thursday. The Cubs won the series opener of that series on Tuesday, won the 2nd and 3rd games in a double-header on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .744 OPS. Matthew Boyd is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Colin Rea is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-5 with a 4.99 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 3 SO on 3 hits through 5.1 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Brewers are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 49-29 record overall and have a home record of 25-15. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .729 OPS. Rookie pitcher Shane Drohan was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Jacob Misiorowski is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 8-3 with a 1.45 ERA this season. His team won 5 of their last 6 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts on 5 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Atlanta Braves.

The current betting odds have the Brewers listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Brewers have looked great in their games this season with their 49-29 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL Central with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 25-15 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 43-37 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They haven't been a great road team though with their 20-20 road record this year. The Cubs are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they have looked a lot better lately after going through a big slump, but the Brewers have been one of the best in the league all year and they are also red hot lately, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. Misiorowski is on the mound for the Brewers in this one too and he has looked great this season. He is 8-3 with a 1.45 ERA and he has been their ace this year, being one of the best starters in MLB. He is coming off another great start in which he only gave up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him, and the team has had a ton of success lately too, winning 5 of their last 6 games with him starting. The Cubs have had the better offense this season, but the Brewers have been really hot on offense lately and they have the better pitching staff to give them the edge. The Cubs have been dealing with a lot of injuries too and it has put their pitching staff in a terrible situation all year. The best way to place a bet here is on the Brewers to win this game and on the runline. 

Cubs Brewers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 26, 2026 (7:45 pm ET start time) is Brewers 7 Cubs 1.

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Chicago Cubs: 63-62 (-6 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 148-139 (-6.4 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 27-36 (-10.2 units) on the moneyline vs. NL teams allowing 4.0 or less runs/game on the season. 26-16 OVER vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse.

Milwaukee Brewers: 243-172 (+49.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 127-82 (+19.3 units) on the moneyline in home games. 77-46 (+24.4 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 4-1 OVER vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 5.40 or worse.

Chicago Cubs:  B. Brown (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Taillon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. M. Boyd (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Milwaukee Brewers:  Q. Priester (SP) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. C. Crow (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. B. Fitzpatrick (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Rodriguez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. D. Hall (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Pectoral. R. Zastryzny (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. A. Zerpa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. L. Henderson (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. B. Lockridge (LF) Ten Day IL - Knee. J. Koenig (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow.

“The driving in the runs, I’m not sure I have [seen it before].” - Craig Counsell on Dansby Swanson after his team’s double-header win against the Mets on Wednesday. 

"The pieces fit easily. This is a kid that we've signed for [the] long-term [in] Cooper. We feel confident that he will be our shortstop of the future, and he's going to play. But Joey [Ortiz] is a huge part of our organization [and] has been. We will never forget what he's done for us at shortstop and can do at shortstop again. But he also can play third [and] he can play second." - Pat Murphy on calling up Cooper Pratt.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Michael Conforto (L) RF

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Seiya Suzuki (R) DH

Ian Happ (S) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Pedro Ramírez (S) 3B

Miguel Amaya (R) C

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Christian Yelich (L) DH

Jackson Chourio (R) LF

Brice Turang (L) 2B

William Contreras (R) C

Jake Bauers (L) 1B

Garrett Mitchell (L) CF

Sal Frelick (L) RF

Cooper Pratt (R) SS

David Hamilton (L) 3B

Batting Average:  Justin Dean (.667)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (86)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (17)

RBI:  Dansby Swanson (46)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (18)

Wins:  Javier Assad (6)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (3)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Andrew Vaughn (.351)

Hits:  William Contreras (87)

Home Runs:  Jake Bauers (14)

RBI:  Jake Bauers (48)

Stolen Bases:  David Hamilton (16)

Wins:  Aaron Ashby (10)

Saves:  Trevor Megill (10)

ERA:  Jared Koenig (0.00)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

Milwaukee Brewers: Pat Murphy (3rd season)