Brewers-Cubs NLDS Game Three Thread - 10/8/2025 @ 4:08PM

[bm1090]

Just now, wOOgiE22 said:

I know we all have October PTSD being Brewers fans. At least they gave themselves 3 shots to get this done. If they can’t do that then they have no one to blame but themselves. 

Time for Freddy to step up and pitch like the leader of this team so the series doesn’t go past tomorrow. 

Yeah count me in the camp that’s encouraged by this. Played well defensively. Pitched great for 8 innings. Offense fought back but didn’t quite muster enough.

Love our chances tomorrow. I’d be a lot more worried if we rolled over and lost 9-3 and 7-3

[Brian]

3 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Scrub performance from Quinn.

And Mears.

[wildcat83]

Have they announced Freddy for tomorrow?  I honestly prefer Ashby and bullpen tomorrow and Freddy at home for game 5 if needed.  Then if we can pull off a win tomorrow Freddy goes game 1 next series.  If we throw Freddy and lose tomorrow you’re hanging on by a thread at home.  If this goes 5 I want my ace throwing game 5!

[Turning2]

They need to find a new stud soon for Yelli to hand the baton to like he took it from Braun.  He's had a great year overall, but damn... we need his bat to be more impactful at the moment. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

1 minute ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

I recall a post you had when the Brewers were waiting to find out their opponent that you were amped to face the Cubs...knock them out on a redemption playoff run through LAD and whomever in the WS....I'm still firmly with you from about 5-6 days ago, enjoying this ride and confident as ever.  Stick to your guns, brother!

Correct, that is the most delicious path, going right through Chicago. I would of course be depressed if we lost to LAD/PHL, but I consider the season a success generally if we win this series.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

2 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

This kind of reminds me of 2019 when the Bucks were rolling in the ECF, up 2-0. The Raptors took everything they could to barely win Game 3 in overtime. 

The prevailing thought was “it’s fine. They don’t have enough left. It took everything just to get one win.”

Only that’s not how sports work, and we didn’t win another game. Momentum is a real thing. Boyd could easily shut us down tomorrow, Peralta could have command problems and we could lose 8-1. It’s baseball. 

Or, we could get that big hit tomorrow and finish this. I really don’t know. But the Cubs aren’t finished just because they had to scratch and claw for one tonight. We will have to earn win #3 all the way.

I'm trying to convince myself this was merely us beating the 08 Phillies in Game 3. Cute, but meaningless, as they went on to win it all.

[HarveysWBs]

I mean, yeah, no one should have expected this to be easy. Nobody gets a cupcake in the division series, and the Cubs absolutely had to have this one, with their best pitchers throwing, and Chicago just barely did it. From that angle, I’m not too shaken up at the moment.

However, this being baseball, and this being Brewers postseason baseball specifically, it is really hard to feel confident the rest of the way. I’ve told myself for years that I have to try to imagine the worst, most excruciating way this team can fail in October before every single series. Sadly, it is a strategy that has braced me for more than a fair share of heartaches.

Win tomorrow, or I think we’re well under 50% likelihood to get it done in game 5.

[adambr2]

1 minute ago, Turning2 said:

They need to find a new stud soon for Yelli to hand the baton to like he took it from Braun.  He's had a great year overall, but damn... we need his bat to be more impactful at the moment. 

He’s been fine. Chourio has been more than fine. Contreras has been fine.

Turang and Frelick are the dudes who need to step it up.

[Fear The Chorizo]

1 minute ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I'm trying to convince myself this was merely us beating the 08 Phillies in Game 3. Cute, but meaningless, as they went on to win it all.

That's actually the game this feels exactly like, IMO

[adambr2]

1 minute ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I'm trying to convince myself this was merely us beating the 08 Phillies in Game 3. Cute, but meaningless, as they went on to win it all.

Could be. I’m not saying we’re toast. But every bit of adversity is always going to feel like “here we go again” until we prove that it doesn’t need to feel like that anymore.

[MrTPlush]

14 minutes ago, jason21nl said:

Until we get over the hump this is how I feel.  I fully expect to lose at home with the Cubs celebrating.   They have a legit shot at a WS and I can’t help but feel they’re going to piss it away.  I’m not a Bucks fan so I couldn’t really enjoy that Championship.  I’ve got two Packers Super Bowls which is awesome but for the amount of times a WI sports team has been in position to win they typically find a way to absolutely shatter my heart.  This feels like it will follow script.  

If we lose to the Cubs three games in a row we in fact did not have a shot at the World Series and were actually an okay team with an outlier historically hot streak.

 

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

I haven't read through this whole thread, but some observations, aside from the obvious, which is that Priester was awful. Feel bad for the kid. He'll bounce back.

1) I thought this would be a nailbiter coming down to BABIP luck. Turned out, it was a nailbiter coming down to RISP. Potato, potahto. 

2) All that stress and tension and the winning run scores because of a wild pitch. Funny game.

3) Lockridge had a weird night. He has a great AB and then swings at ball four. Then, he bunts it too hard, but in the right spot. Fine margins between the bad night he had and an incredible role-playing night. I'm fine with the bunt there. And Durbin really had a shot to just keep running and score on that play too. Can't fault him too much, but that play just went the Cubs way. Not getting a run off the Chuorio leadoff double and with first and third and one out in that inning was the biggest flaw in our game.

4) Speaking of bad swing decisions, we made a few. Collins AB really hurt, right after the Bauers HR. He gets on there, the whole inning feels different. Got lay off that pitch in the dirt.

5) We played great defense tonight. If not for Sal's excellent catch in the first, this never gets so tight.

6) I was kind of feeling a Turang bunt in the 8th. Just a brutal AB from a guy who was so hot but seems completely lost this series. I said he's going to need to get a big hit for us to win at Wrigley. Didn't happen tonight.

7) I thought Murph managed this game pretty well, though I'd have gone to Gasser instead of Koenig in the 7th and probably wouldn't have had Ashby warming. Minor detail. Koenig threw 7 pitches. He's probably a one- or two-out guy tomorrow, but everyone else is ready to go.

8) Really impressive stuff from Chad Patrick. Poise. Command. Maturity. Can't give that dude enough credit.

9) I know there's probably a lot of anxiety and hand-wringing in these 30 or so pages. But this team has played good baseball this series. We didn't get the big hit tonight. That's it. It happens in just about every close game of every season. I've gone from thinking losing to the Cubs would be the newest way this team could hurt me to wanting us to win but at peace with whatever the outcome is. Watching this series, I just don't feel the fear this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm nervous and pacing and all elevated hart rate, but the sense of impending dread is gone because you really can't ask for more from these guys. So far, these three games have been what sports are all about, and all the rivalry, manager, soap opera stuff is just noise. 

 

[jason21nl]

Just now, MrTPlush said:

If we lose to the Cubs three games in a row we in fact did not have a shot at the World Series and were actually an okay team with an outlier historically hot streak.

 

Cubs won 90 + games.  They’re not some ****** team that shouldn’t be in the playoffs.  They won the season series vs us.  They’re very capable of winning 3 in a row.  

[BrewerFan]

15 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

Maybe, but this is October. You can't take anything for granted. I've seen too much Brewer baseball in my life to do that. I'd like to see them win a World Series before I die and if they don't do it within the next five years, they most likely won't.

I would say it's.. pretty hard to imagine they'll have a better opportunity anytime past the Chourio era... but I thought Priester was the obvious move here. 

We're the Brewers. We rely on and expect young players to be able to adapt to the post-season quickly. 

But even with Priester's struggles, we had chances. The Cubs tried to choke the game away and we just couldn't get that bit hit in 3 different innings. Durbin just goes for it and forces that throw home and I think he has a 50/50 chance of getting in under the tag. He was...7-8 feet away. I suppose he was thinking about getting men on 2nd and 3rd, but... 

[Turning2]

13 minutes ago, yourout said:

Since his kids birth Collins has been our worst hitter... By a mile.

For well over a month.

Yep, he was having a career year of overachievement, and that brought a quick halt to his mojo. Don't know his personal life, maybe they have a hard time conceiving, but I told my wife... "what was he thinking... plant that seed in late spring / early summer.. so you don't have a kid during the season". 

[Fear The Chorizo]

Hand the ball to Freddy and let him work tomorrow - i wouldnt mind if the first few pitches to Busch in the bottom of the 1st are right at his shins or behind him....nothing against that guy, but its annoying how comfy he is sitting in the box seeing off to open the game.

 

If the wind does shift a bit it wouldnt surprise me to see CC start Rea or Soroka tomorrow and then just throw everybody again.  Boyd will be on regular rest, but I dont think theyd trust him facing the Brewers for what feels like the 17th time this season

[BrewerFan]

Just now, jason21nl said:

Cubs won 90 + games.  They’re not some ****** team that shouldn’t be in the playoffs.  They won the season series vs us.  They’re very capable of winning 3 in a row.  

Ok... that doesn't mean we should lose 3 games in a row in the playoffs to the Cubs.

We won 97 games and we've shut the Cubs down for the most part. They scored 4 in the first and our BP DOMINATED them again. 

 

Hell, have Bauers start the game on the mound and bring Peralta in after one batter... given our BP's performance this series... Peralta is guaranteed to throw 7 shutout!

[bucks2281]

If you’re looking for an optimistic comparison: 2011 NLCS Game 3 (the Kotsay game).

Cardinals scored all 4 of their runs in the bottom of the 1st. Brewers managed to score three times but couldn’t tie. Lost 4-3. The next day, the Brewers went on to win 4-2.

 

 

[HarryDoyle]

8 minutes ago, wildcat83 said:

Have they announced Freddy for tomorrow?  I honestly prefer Ashby and bullpen tomorrow and Freddy at home for game 5 if needed.  Then if we can pull off a win tomorrow Freddy goes game 1 next series.  If we throw Freddy and lose tomorrow you’re hanging on by a thread at home.  If this goes 5 I want my ace throwing game 5!

I tend to agree but do we have enough arms to do that? Can you really trust Gasser to not be Priester? Ashby, Miz, Uribe and Megill is all I see that would be available to cover nine innings. 

[jason21nl]

Quote

1 minute ago, BrewerFan said:

Durbin just goes for it and forces that throw home and I think he has a 50/50 chance of getting in under the tag. He was...7-8 feet away. I suppose he was thinking about getting men on 2nd and 3rd, but... 

 

Problem is he’s trying to anticipate the throw.  He has no idea the ball was fumbled a bit and had a shot at scoring.   He did a great job of staying in the run down long enough for everyone to move up. 

[BrewerFan]

1 minute ago, Turning2 said:

Yep, he was having a career year of overachievement, and that brought a quick halt to his mojo. Don't know his personal life, maybe they have a hard time conceiving, but I told my wife... "what was he thinking... plant that seed in late spring / early summer.. so you don't have a kid during the season". 

... is this supposed to be in blue?

 

LOL... I don't always put things in blue because it's sometimes SO obvious, but... please tell me this is one of those cases...

[yourout]

2 minutes ago, Turning2 said:

Yep, he was having a career year of overachievement, and that brought a quick halt to his mojo. Don't know his personal life, maybe they have a hard time conceiving, but I told my wife... "what was he thinking... plant that seed in late spring / early summer.. so you don't have a kid during the season". 

At this point he has to be the last guy on the bench and only used as a last resort.

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

I tend to agree but do we have enough arms to do that? Can you really trust Gasser to not be Priester? Ashby, Miz, Uribe and Megill is all I see that would be available to cover nine innings. 

Yeah, you give the ball to your best starter on regular rest every time and sort out what happens afterwards.  Peralta needs to start tomorrow.

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 minutes ago, yourout said:

At this point he has to be the last guy on the bench and only used as a last resort.

I wish Hoskins was on this roster instead of Collins, tbh

[jason21nl]

3 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

Ok... that doesn't mean we should lose 3 games in a row in the playoffs to the Cubs.

We won 97 games and we've shut the Cubs down for the most part. They scored 4 in the first and our BP DOMINATED them again. 

 

Hell, have Bauers start the game on the mound and bring Peralta in after one batter... given our BP's performance this series... Peralta is guaranteed to throw 7 shutout!

Brewers have definitely outplayed the Cubs and shouldn’t lose the series.  I’m just expecting them to.  Because the sports Gods hate Wisconsin sports and I have some real good friends that are insufferable Cubs fans