MLB Baseball
2026-06-27 - Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Saturday 27th June 2026 - Scheduled 7:10pm EST
12:10am (British Time)
Preview
They took the lead, but that is not going to be enough to beat the Milwaukee Brewers (50-29) right now and the Chicago Cubs (44-38) fell to a fifth straight defeat against this Divisional rival. That run began with the Game 5 loss in the National League Divisional Series in the 2025 Playoffs and includes all four regular season games in 2026, which means the Chicago Cubs are 7.5 games behind the National League Central leaders.
There is still time to turn things around, but the pitching rotation is heavily banged up and it was not a big surprise to hear the Cubs were trying to bring in reinforcements earlier in the week. A trade for David Peterson was made with the New York Mets and the seven year starter is set to make his Cubs debut on Saturday.
After putting his best season on the board in 2024 and being selected as an All Star in 2025, David Peterson's second half of that campaign was problematic and that has seeped into 2026. Only half of his sixteen appearances for the New York Mets have been in starts and David Peterson has a 3-6 record with a 6.09 ERA, which is set to be his poorest ERA since pitching in the Major League.
The trade was made on Thursday and David Peterson was with the Cubs on Friday as he prepares for the first start in a different uniform.
Chicago are confident they can get David Peterson turned back around, but they have also needed the bodies with the pitching rotation banged up. The last five appearances for the Mets saw Peterson struggling with his consistency as the team looked to find the best spot for him and that meant a 0-2 record, but also a Save, and an 8.69 ERA across those five appearances.
David Peterson did hold the Milwaukee Brewers to a single earned run into the 7th Inning when last facing them in 2024 and he picked up the decision win that day. The Cubs will be hoping Peterson can find that level immediately as they look to snap the losing run to what many believe is the best team in the Division.
The Brewers will counter by handing the ball to Kyle Harrison who has an 8-1 record and 2.50 ERA in his fourteen starts in his first season in Milwaukee. There had been little sign of this kind of level through the first three seasons in the Major Leagues, but Harrison has built up some confidence and momentum.
Kyle Harrison had not allowed more than two runs in any of his first eleven starts for the Brewers, but then ran into the Athletics who knocked him around for eight runs and forced Harrison out of the game in the 3rd Inning earlier this month.
Some may have felt that could lead to the bubble bursting for this pitcher, but Kyle Harrison has bounced back by allowing just two runs over his last two starts, which have covered more than 12 Innings.
Last month, Kyle Harrison produced a gem of an outing at Wrigley Field when throwing 7 Innings without giving up a run against the home town Cubs, whilst he also had 11 Strikeouts that day. This will now be his second start against the Chicago Cubs and first time in the home ballpark.
Prediction
The stronger, more consistent pitching is expected to come from the Milwaukee Brewers and Kyle Harrison, although David Peterson should be respected.
The Cubs analytics team believes the Peterson style will mesh well with the Defensive performance of the team, but he has had little time to work with the Catcher and the fruits of this trade may not be ripe for a few starts.
With the dominance of the Milwaukee Brewers over the Chicago Cubs, another home win is expected following the 6-2 win on Friday.
The Pick :
Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 Chicago Cubs
