Spring Training Game Thread #18: Milwaukee Brewers (7-9) @ Chicago Cubs (11-4)

Jacob Misiorowski and the Brewers look to keep it rolling against their division rivals

Milwaukee will face off against the Chicago Cubs today in a likely preview of the battle for the NL Central.

On the hill for the Brewers is pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. Misiorowski, the Brewers’ top pitching prospect, threw three scoreless innings against the A’s in his last appearance. He’ll have a tough test against the Cubs, who some have projected to win the NL Central. Chicago will be playing many of their projected starters today, so it should be a good test for Misiorowski. On the mound for the Cubs will be lefty Justin Steele, a former All-Star with a career 3.24 ERA in 98 games.

Also scheduled to pitch this afternoon for Milwaukee are RHP Joel Payamps, RHP Abner Uribe, LHP Connor Thomas, and RHP Easton McGee.

Sal Frelick, hitting .364 with a home run this spring, will lead things off for Milwaukee. Behind him is the red-hot Christian Yelich, who’s looking to extend his home run streak to three games. Jackson Chourio gets the day off on his 21st birthday.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins, who has hit four home runs in 16 at-bats this season, will hit third. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Hoskins, who had somewhat of a lackluster 2024 season.

Starting infielders Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang will also get a rest day in favor of Oliver Dunn, Raynel Delgado, and Vinnie Capra. All three of them have played well this spring, but it’s likely that at least one (if not two) of the three will start the season in the minors. I’d especially like to see another strong performance from Dunn, who went 0-for-3 in his last appearance but had multiple hits in each of the two games before that.

The game will be available on the Brewers Radio Network and on MLB.TV, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CT.