The Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers will kick off the 2023 season at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon.
The Cubs and Brewers have met on Opening Day three times before. The Brewers won in 2008, but the Cubs won in 2020 and then last season. All three of those openers have been played in Wrigley, much like this bout.
Other information on the Brewers vs. the Cubs, including live stream details, are below. You can view the full schedule for Opening Day here.
Brewers vs. Cubs
Date: Thursday, March 30 | Time: 2:20 p.m. ET
Location: Wrigley Field - Chicago, Ill.
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free), MLB.TV | TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin, Marquee Sports Network
Probable pitchers: RHP Corbin Burnes (MIL) vs. RHP Marcus Stroman (CHC)
Odds: MIL -145; CHC +122; O/U: 7.5 runs (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Brewers: The Brewers are still in the midst of the best run in franchise history. They had only made four playoff appearances before 2018 and they've been four times in the last five years. They've won at least 86 games in each of the last five full seasons. They missed the playoffs last year, though, and haven't been to the World Series since 1982, so there's still plenty to accomplish. They'd love to start on a good note here after losing last year's opener (and remember, they only missed the playoffs by one game, behind the eventual NL pennant winner).
An interesting note: Though Burnes didn't throw well on Opening Day last year, he was dominant against the Cubs the next two times he faced them, posting a 2.37 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 24 strikeouts in 19 innings. Still, the Brewers were 0-3 in Burnes' starts against the Cubs last year and 20-10 otherwise.
Cubs: The Golden Era of Cubs baseball is firmly in the rearview. After a stretch of five playoff berths -- including three NLCS trips and a World Series title -- in six years, the Cubs were bad in 2021 and 2022. The roster has since been reshaped and things need to start turning back around. Holdovers Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner elevated themselves last season while newcomers Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger help give the team a new look.
Stroman was outstanding against the Brewers last season (1.37 ERA, 0.71 WHIP in three starts), but -- in a possible anomaly -- he was overall awful at Wrigley Field (5.18 ERA) compared to being stellar away (2.06 ERA). He'll be looking to start turning the tides in the Friendly Confines on Thursday.
