The Milwaukee Brewers dropped their final game against the Boston Red Sox 2-1, but secured the series win with victories on Friday and Saturday. As of this writing, the Brewers hold a three-game lead over the Craig Counsell-led Chicago Cubs, whose game against the St. Louis Cardinals is currently in a weather delay. Chicago has lost three games in a row and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games.
Of course, these two teams begin a four game series on Monday at American Family Field in Milwaukee. It will be the first time that Counsell manages against his old team at the stadium that he once called home. For obvious reasons, there is a great deal of buzz surrounding this series among Brewers fans.
That being said, it does not sound like Brewers players are viewing the upcoming series the same way as their fans.
Milwaukee Brewers Outfielder Christian Yelich Addresses Hype Surrounding Upcoming Series vs Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs
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The Brewers have already faced their former manager in one series already this year, a three-gamer that Milwaukee lost 2-1 back in early May. The players did not make a big personal deal of it then, and star outfielder Christian Yelich says they are not making a big deal of it now.
According to Adam McCalvy, Yelich said,
โI think that will be more from the fan perspective. We have to go out there and win the game. Itโs players vs. players. The managers put players in position to win the game, but at the end of the day weโre the ones that are deciding the outcome on the field.
โThatโs how we looked at it [when the teams played] in Chicago. I understand the storylines from a fan perspective and everything that happened. For us, itโs trying to win another series against a division rival. Itโs going to be a big four days for us.โ
So while Yelich and the rest of the team may not hold any animosity towards their former manager, they are still well-aware of how important the series is because of Chicago being their division rival. As mentioned, the Cubs are three games back of the Brewers right now. If Milwaukee fails to take advantage of these division games now, it could mean a tighter race in September.
Milwaukee Brewers Rookie Robert Gasser Is Excited to Pitch Against the Chicago Cubs
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Rookie left-handed starting pitcher Robert Gasser never got to play for Counsell outside of Spring Training. He also has yet to pitch against the Cubs since he was called up earlier this year.
However, taking part in the rivalry is something that he is very excited about. Per McCalvy:
โI was thinking back to college, and itโs just really cool that I get to pitch in a rivalry game for the first time in a minute. Weโve been on a long road trip, but Iโve been staring at it for five days now. Iโm ready for the Cubs.โ
Gasser is scheduled to start for the Brewers in the first game of the series on Monday. He is currently 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in three starts.
The rookie left-hander is coming off his worst start of his young career after giving up 10 hits and four earned runs in six innings against the Miami Marlins.
Chicago is countering with left-hander Justin Steele, who is 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA and 1.18 WHIP this season. However, Steele is 2-2 with a 2.64 ERA against Milwaukee in his career.
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