Ex-Brewer Craig Counsell guides rival Cubs into NLDS showdown

MILWAUKEE The well-rested Milwaukee Brewers testament turn over to whizz righthander Freddy Peralta as they appear to snap their playoff drought when they host the archrival Chicago Cubs on Saturday in the opener of the National League Division Series.

Former Brewers manager Craig Counsell led the Cubs to a 3-1 victory over San Diego on Thursday in the decisive third game of the wild-card round. It marked Chicago's first playoff series win since 2017.

Counsell did not name a Game 1 starter Friday afternoon, saying the Cubs had a couple plans and would make a call after Friday's workout.

Peralta , who led the National League in victories, likely will oppose either right-hander Colin Rea or right-hander Javier Assad in the first playoff meeting between the Central Division rivals, separated by about 90 miles.

"At least from my perspective, kind of being on both sides of it, I think the regular-season matchups are awesome," Counsell said of the rivalry Friday. "It's a lot of fun. A lot of times there's extra energy from fans, and there's fans from both teams in the building. That's always made it a lot of fun."

With a first-round bye, the Brewers have been idle since Sunday after securing the No. 1 overall seed and home-field advantage for the entire postseason with a franchise-record 97 victories. Milwaukee is in the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons, but has lost in the wild card each of the last two seasons and has not won a playoff series since the NLDS in 2018.

"They've had the best team in baseball this year," Counsell said Thursday of the Brewers. "They feel like they have a chance to play in the World Series with this team. ... That's going to be as good as it gets."

The Cubs won the regular-season series 7-6, including three of five in the last meeting in Aug. 18-21. Milwaukee was 6 1/2 games behind the Cubs on June 17, but surged to a nine-game lead by Aug. 15.

Peralta has not pitched since Sunday in Milwaukee's 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds, when he allowed one run in a two-inning tune-up start.

Peralta is 9-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 22 career appearances vs. The Cubs, including 17 starts. He was 3-1 with 3.43 ERA in four starts this against them this season, with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks.

"They know me really well, and I know them, too. I know how special they are," Peralta said Friday. "... I think I just need to go out there and compete."

Peralta, who made a career-high 33 starts this season, was 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in five starts in September, but pitched past five innings just once.

Rea, who pitched in 58 games with Milwaukee the previous two seasons, was effective down the stretch, going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA in five outings in September, and did not allow a home run in 27 1/3 innings.

Assad, who was not on the wild-card roster, was 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA in four games in September.

Counsell, who managed the Brewers for nine seasons before joining the Cubs in 2024, is Milwaukee's winningest manager with 707 victories. Murphy was the Brewers' bench coach under Counsell, but also was Counsell's college coach at Notre Dame.

"I think he probably feels the same way: This isn't about us," Murphy said Friday. "We'll compete, the teams will compete. I don't think it will change us."

Murphy also said that injured right-hander Brandon Woodruff, out with a right lat strain, would not pitch in the NLDS. Woodruff, who missed all of 2024 recovering from shoulder surgery, was 7-2 with 3.20 ERA in 12 starts since coming off the injured list in early July.

Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

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