The Chicago Cubs are in a good position to make their second straight playoff appearance following a four-year drought, but their performance over the past few weeks has been a cause for concern among their fans. Having to face Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski on Wednesday only increases their worries.
Chicago (78-61) hopes its third time opposing Misiorowski this season is a charm as it continues its four-game series against major league-best Milwaukee (86-53) at 7:40 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field. The NL Central rivals split the first two games of the set, with the Cubs romping to a 17-3 victory in the opener and the Brewers responding with a 9-4 triumph.
That loss was the 11th in 18 contests since Aug. 13 for Chicago, which fell one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the first NL wild card. The Cubs, who are 3-5 against the Brewers this year and were on the wrong side of a three-game sweep at home in May, have a five-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the second berth but trail Milwaukee by eight games in the division.
Chicago hasn't been able to solve Misiorowski in 2026, as the 24-year-old right-hander allowed one run and five hits with 16 strikeouts over 12 innings in winning his two starts versus the club. Misiorowski has been exceptional against most of his opponents this season, winning 14 of his 19 decisions - including five of the last six - while leading the majors in both ERA (1.73) and strikeouts (222).
Eight other games are on MLB's Wednesday evening schedule, one of which is the rubber match of the three-game series between the New York Yankees (79-60) and Los Angeles Angels (53-86) at 9:38 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The Angels ended their seven-game losing streak with a 10-1 triumph in the opener and the Yankees answered with a 7-3 win on Tuesday. With the victory, New York expanded its lead over the Boston Red Sox for the first wild card in the AL to four games and remained 4.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
The Miami Marlins (70-69) look to stay in the NL postseason race when they visit the Kansas City Royals (62-77) at 7:40 p.m. ET for the middle contest of their three-game set at Kauffman Stadium. Miami, which is three games back in the chase for the third wild card, took the opener 6-3 after beginning its seven-game road trip by losing three of four to the Washington Nationals.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates (68-71) attempt to continue their surprising surge toward a playoff spot when they resume their three-game series at PNC Park against the San Francisco Giants (57-82) at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Pirates squandered a six-run lead in the opener but escaped with a 13-12 victory as Oneil Cruz went 4-for-6 with four RBI. It was the third straight win a fifth in seven contests for Pittsburgh, which is five games out of the third NL wild card spot.
The Brewers are -159 money line betting favorites against the Cubs in the consensus MLB betting odds, while the Yankees are -163 betting favorites versus the Angels. The Royals are -114 favorites over the Marlins for fans who want to wager at the best sports betting apps, and the Pirates are -152 to win against the Giants.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Wednesday, Sept. 2. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Pirates at Giants
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Pittsburgh | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Pirates ML (-152) | Expert: Rafael Devers Over 1.5 total bases (+126, Eric Cohen)
The Pirates have won three consecutive games overall and five of seven at home, where they are three games over the .500 mark. San Francisco right-hander Landen Roupp allowed just one run in his start against Pittsburgh on May 9 but was removed after throwing 94 pitches over four-plus innings, and the Giants went on to lose 13-3. Pirates righty Bubba Chandler pitched the next day and limited San Francisco to two runs in five frames. The SportsLine Projection Model believes the Pirates will extend their winning streak as they defeat the Giants in 64% of its simulations. San Francisco's Rafael Devers has homered five times during his current nine-game hitting streak and has gone deep in both of his last two outings. The 29-year-old Dominican has racked up at least two total bases in all but one of those nine contests, and SportsLine expert Eric Cohen is backing him to do it again on Wednesday.
Brewers at Cubs
Time: 7:40 p.m. | Location: Chicago | TV: MLB Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Cubs ML (+137) | Expert: Jacob Misiorowski Under 17.5 outs recorded (+108, Angelo Magliocca)
The Brewers have won five of their last seven road games, while the Cubs have lost four of six at home. Chicago let a three-run lead slip away in Tuesday's 9-4 setback and was outscored 11-2 in both of the contests against Milwaukee that were started by Misiorowski. But the SportsLine Projection Model likes the Cubs' chances for victory this time around as its simulations have them defeating the Brewers 53% of the time and has it as an "A" grade pick. Misiorowski pitched six innings in both of his two previous turns against Chicago this year and each of his last five overall outings, but SportsLine expert Angelo Magliocca thinks Milwaukee may begin to limit his work as the regular season winds down.
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Marlins at Royals
Time: 7:40 p.m. | Location: Kansas City | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Royals ML (-114) | Expert: Marlins Under 4.5 runs (-130, Adam Thompson)
The Marlins are just three games back in the battle for the third NL wild card, but the Royals have looked more like a team that's in the playoff race. Miami lost eight of 13 contests before posting a 6-3 triumph in the series opener. Tuesday's defeat was the second straight for Kansas City, which won 12 of its previous 13 games. Royals left-hander Noah Cameron has won four consecutive decisions and given up fewer than three runs in all but one of his past seven starts. The Royals have been victorious in each of the 27-year-old's last three outings, and the SportsLine Projection Model thinks they'll make it four in a row as they defeat the Marlins in 57% of its simulations. Cameron's 1.29 ERA over his last seven turns and the fact that only four NL teams have scored fewer runs than Miami this year has SportsLine expert Adam Thompson believing the Marlins will be hard-pressed to put five on the board Wednesday.
Yankees at Angels
Time: 9:38 p.m. | Location: Anaheim, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 6.5 (-113)
The signs point to a pitchers' duel in the rubber game of the three-game series. Yankees righty Cam Schlittler possesses a sparkling 1.14 road ERA and has allowed three runs over 24 innings in his last four overall starts. Los Angeles southpaw Reid Detmers has been even stingier of late, giving up two runs across 26 frames is his past four turns. Meanwhile, the Angels are 12th in the AL in scoring with 568 runs. However, these teams have combined for at least eight runs in each of their first six meetings this season and reached double digits in five of them, including each of the last three. New York enters Wednesday with a streak of four consecutive contests with at least 10 total runs produced. The Yankees and Angels may not reach double figures, but the SportsLine Projection Model doesn't see a low-scoring affair as its simulations have the Over hitting well over 67% of the time.
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