There is no “opener” or bullpen game for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.
This is Quinn Priester’s game. And is there anyone better for the job?
The right-handed starter takes the mound looking to send the Brewers to the NL Championship Series and his boyhood team to the offseason. The Brewers have won 19 of the last 20 games in which Priester has pitched.
Priester, a native of Glendale Heights in suburban Chicago who cheered for the Cubs growing up, gets his first playoff assignment at Wrigley Field for the Brewers in a close-out situation with Milwaukee up 2-0. On the other side, it’s veteran Jameson Taillon getting the ball for the Cubs for the second time this postseason in a must-win situation.
First pitch is set for 4:08 p.m. Oct. 8.
Here’s what to know about the Brewers-Cubs pitching matchup:
Brewers vs Cubs probable pitchers: NLDS Game 3
Quinn Priester (13-3, 3.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) starts for the Brewers while Jameson Taillon (11-7, 3.68 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) starts for the Cubs.
Quinn Priester stats
Priester has been a bulldog on the mound for the Brewers in 2025. Priester (13-3, 3.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) was acquired from the Boston Red Sox early in the season and went on to be a crucial piece in the team’s starting staff as the Brewers rose up the standings and became the best team in baseball.
From May 30-Sept. 18, the Brewers did not lose a game in which Priester pitched.
Watch the Brewers in the playoffs on Sling
He had 10 quality starts (six innings or more with three runs or fewer) during this span. He had 17 games during this stretch allowing just three runs or fewer.
Priester, 25, has been as reliable as they come for Milwaukee and helped stabilize a rotation that battled many injuries early in the season.
Quinn Priester vs the Cubs
Priester has three starts against the Cubs this season going 1-1 with a no decision in the other.
On May 2 when he was still finding his footing in the rotation, he allowed seven runs in 4 ⅓ innings in 101 pitches in a 10-0 loss.
He started a 9-3 win on July 29 and a 4-1 victory on Aug. 21 that ended a five-game series in Chicago.
Now, he’s set to make his playoff debut.
Jameson Taillon stats
In his third season with the Cubs, Taillon pitched 23 games, all starts, and posted an 11-7 record with a 3.68 ERA, 1.06 WHIP across 129.2 innings.
This is Taillon’s ninth MLB season (he previously spent four years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and two with the New York Yankees) and third postseason start. He also had a start for the Yankees in the 2022 playoffs.
The 33-year-old right-hander has already come up big for the Cubs in the 2025 playoffs. He pitched four shutout innings in the Cubs’ 3-1 Game 3 wild-card series-clinching victory over the San Diego Padres on Oct. 2 at Wrigley Field.
For his career, he has an 82-60 record in 224 appearances (223 starts) with a 3.87 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
Jameson Taillon vs the Brewers
Taillon pitched three games against the Brewers this season, winning twice and delivering two quality starts.
On May 3, he went six innings and gave up two runs in a Cubs 6-2 win. He struck out five and allowed one walk.
On June 19, the Brewers battered him for eight hits and five runs in four innings. The Brewers clubbed two home runs against him in an 8-7 win.
In Game 2 of a doubleheader on Aug. 19, he went six innings and gave up just one run during a 4-1 win at Wrigley Field.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who’s pitching for the Brewers today? Probable pitchers vs the Cubs in Game 3 of NLDS playoffs.
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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