Brewers

NLDS Game 3: Cubs ride big 1st to win over Brewers

Steve Drumwright

08 Oct 2025 — 2 min read

With a chance to move on to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2018, the Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Chicago Cubs 4-3 Wednesday at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the NL Division Series. The nail-biter sent the series to a Game 4 Thursday, where it is expected that right-hander Freddy Peralta will start for the Brewers, likely against his Game 1 opponent, Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd.

FIRST BASE: Another quick start

Thanks to a little wind and the position of the sun in the top of the first inning, the Brewers caught a huge break when what should have been a routine popup fell in and left the Crew with the bases loaded. As Cubs fans found out, the infield fly rule was correctly not put into effect. Sal Frelick came through with a one-out sacrifice fly, but that was the extent of the Brewers' scoring in the first, seeming like a missed opportunity.

The Cubs let this pop up fall and the bases are loaded

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— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 2:24 PM

Sal Frelick and the @Brewers strike first! 👀

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— MLB (Bot) (@mlbbot.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 2:19 PM

SECOND BASE: Bullpen shines

What the Brewers have gotten from their bullpen in the first three games of this series has been incredible. After Quinn Priester was only able to get two outs in the first inning, Brewers relievers tossed 7⅓ shutout innings. Combine that with the 10⅔ shutout innings from Games 1 and 2 and that is 18 straight shutout innings in this series. Wednesday's relievers allowed five hits and two walks with six strikeouts, bringing their series total to eight hits, four walks and 19 strikeouts.

THIRD BASE: Jake rakes

Some were surprised that it was Jake Bauers in the Brewers' lineup at first base for Game 3 following Andrew Vaughn's big three-run homer in Game 2. But manager Pat Murphy stuck with his platoon rules in that case and went with the lefty-hitting Bauers against a right-handed starting pitcher in Jameson Taillon. Bauers, as he has done since mid-September, made Murphy look smart by hitting a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning to pull the Crew within 4-3. Bauers came up again in another clutch situation, with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, but struck out.

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HOME PLATE: Priester not in control

It felt like Priester, the Brewers' right-handed starter and a local kid who grew up a Cubs fan, was a bit too amped in the first inning. Priester wobbled his way to 39 pitches, only 21 strikes, to get two outs. But the Cubs took advantage to score four runs. Michael Busch hit another leadoff homer, just as he did in Game 1 to get the Cubs going and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a two-run single to right. The Cubs had been limited to three runs or less in their previous 13 postseason games, an MLB record, but scored four in the bottom of the first for a 4-1 lead.