Misiorowski gets his first shot at the Cubs as NL Central co-leaders begin huge series in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski already has won matchups with Paul Skenes and Clayton Kershaw and has pitched in the All-Star Game since reaching the major leagues six weeks ago.

So forgive the 23-year-old if he isn’t getting overly caught up in the atmosphere surrounding his first matchup with the NL Central-rival Chicago Cubs — even though the two teams share the National League’s best record at 62-43.

“I know it’s a division rival so it’s going to be fun, but there’s nothing different than a normal day,” Misiorowski said.

That's a typical approach for the 6-foot-7 right-hander.

Misiorowski says he spends the days before a start focusing more on himself and making sure he’s physically ready than worrying about the hitters he’s going to face.

“I don’t really prepare for an opponent,” he said. “I just prepare my body for a game. I don’t think I’m looking ahead at who’s going to be there. It’s just about making myself ready.”

Both teams are ready for a major test this week.

Monday’s series opener is an All-Star pitching matchup featuring Misiorowski and Chicago’s Matthew Boyd. Tuesday’s game features Colin Rea (8-4, 4.08 ERA) for the Cubs and Quinn Priester (9-2, 3.28) for the Brewers. Wednesday’s scheduled starters are Chicago’s Shota Imanaga (7-4, 3.12) and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (12-4, 2.81).

“Look, it’s two teams that are playing really well, that have postseason aspirations,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Obviously, it feels like we’re going to be battling for the division. So, you know, it’s still July, but these are big games.”

The Cubs lead the season series 3-2 and won two of three in Milwaukee from May 2-4. This marks the last time these teams will square off in Milwaukee this season, though they have a five-game series at Wrigley Field from Aug. 18-21.

American Family Field generally has a little more energy when the Cubs are in town. The large number of Cubs fans capitalizing on the short drive from Chicago often results in about a 50-50 split in the crowd.

This series got even spicier after Counsell, a Milwaukee-area native and the winningest manager in Brewers history, left for the Cubs following the 2023 season. Counsell has been showered with boos whenever his name has been mentioned each time he’s managed the Cubs in Milwaukee.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy was a bench coach on Counsell’s staff in Milwaukee. When Counsell played college baseball at Notre Dame, Murphy was his coach. The two men remain friendly even while managing division rivals in the majors.

Now they’re meeting with the NL Central lead on the line.

“It’s going to be fun,” Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff said. “I don’t care if it’s a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday series. It’s going to be packed. It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be a playoff-like feeling, which is good for us. It’s a good test for us, to kind of see where we’re at.”

This didn’t look like a particularly competitive race for much of the year.

The Brewers struggled to get above .500 for the first two months of the season and were 6 1/2 games behind the Cubs as recently as June 18. But they’re 23-8 since that date, while the Cubs have gone 17-15.

“Obviously, they’ve played really great baseball here, especially lately,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “Add in two other teams over .500 I think (Cincinnati is 56-50 and St. Louis is 54-53), and it’s a strong division right now. Obviously, that’s why you need 162 games to really see the test of it.”

They’ve won in different ways.

The Cubs own a .444 slugging percentage that ranks second in the majors — behind only the New York Yankees — while Milwaukee is 23rd at .384. Yet both teams are in the top eight in scoring, with the Cubs second and the Brewers eighth.

Both teams love to run; the Cubs rank second in steals (121) with the Brewers third (120). Only the Tampa Bay Rays (138) have stolen more bases.

This series features two of the game’s bright young outfield stars in Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong and Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio, who is on a 20-game hitting streak.

Milwaukee’s edge is its extraordinary starting rotation depth. The Brewers have a 3.58 ERA that ranks fourth in the majors, while the Cubs are 15th at 3.90.

Milwaukee's pitching staff got a big boost when Misiorowski burst onto the scene last month. Now he gets his first taste of the Brewers-Cubs rivalry.

Woodruff isn’t surprised that Misiorowski doesn’t seem fazed by the challenge.

“This kid throws 102 (mph),” Woodruff said. “If I was him, I wouldn’t be scared of nothing.”

AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Milwaukee Brewers' Blake Perkins, second from left, is congratulated by teammates after hitting a walkoff RBI single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, July 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) and Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw (6) celebrate a two run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell sits in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski is greeted in the dugout after being taken out of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski reacts after striking out Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone to retire the side during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)