CHICAGO -- A rainout at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night will add a little more drama to the rivalry between the Cubs and Brewers later this season. As Chicago looks to supplant Milwaukee as the National League Central champions, they will now have a five-game series in August.
Due to persistent rain in the forecast, the game originally planned for 7:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday was postponed and rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Aug. 18 at the Friendly Confines. The teams will square off at 1:20 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. to begin a run of five games in four days during that series.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced that veteran righty Jameson Taillon -- scheduled to start on Wednesday night -- will now take the ball in the 1:20 p.m. contest between the clubs on Thursday to wrap up the current set. Taillon (7-3, 3.48 ERA) is on a strong run for the North Siders, going 5-0 with a 1.91 ERA in his last five appearances.
The Brewers did not announce their planned starter for Thursday following the postponement, but have rookie Jacob Misiorowski and veteran Freddy Peralta as the options. Misiorowski (Pipeline’s No. 4 Brewers prospect) was slated to start Wednesday night, while Peralta was lined up to face the Cubs on Thursday.
The hard-throwing Misiorowski made his MLB debut on June 12 against the Cardinals and spun five no-hit innings before exiting due to some minor injury flare-ups. The 23-year-old righty was dealing with right quadriceps and calf cramping, and also rolled his right ankle. Misiorowski topped 100 mph on 14 pitches in the outing, in which he struck out five and walked four.
Peralta has a long history against the Cubs, logging a 7-2 ledger with a 2.93 ERA in 19 career games (14 starts) against the Brewers’ rivals. This season, the 29-year-old right-hander has a 2.60 ERA with 84 strikeouts against 32 walks in 15 starts (83 innings).
When the teams square off in August, the series will come as part of a stretch of 19 games in an 18-day span for the Brewers. On the flip side, the NL Central-leading Cubs will now have 14 games in a 13-day window with the addition of the twin bill.
Makeup game information
Separate tickets are required for each game in the Aug. 18 doubleheader. Fans must exit the ballpark after the completion of the first game. Mobile tickets via the MLB Ballpark app will automatically update with the makeup game information. No ticket exchange is necessary. Fans who did not pick up the Hello Kitty special-ticket offer prior to the game being postponed can redeem it on the reschedule date Aug. 18. Visit cubs.com for more information.