Brewers vs. Cubs predictions: NLDS expert picks as NL Central foes meet in playoffs for first time

The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs are meeting for the first time ever in the playoffs as they go head-to-head in the best-of-five National League Division Series. Game 1 is on Saturday in Milwaukee (here’s the full series schedule).

The Brewers have home-field advantage in this series and throughout the playoffs after finishing with baseball’s best record (97-65). Milwaukee is seeking its first World Series title and its first trip to the Fall Classic since 1982. The Brewers had a bye in the first round, and they’ll send ace Freddy Peralta to the mound in Saturday’s Game 1.

The Cubs, meanwhile, ousted the San Diego Padres in the best-of-three Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday in their first playoff series win since 2017.

So who will move on to face either the Philadelphia Phillies or Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS? Below are CBS Sports expert picks for Brewers-Cubs.

Phillies vs. Dodgers expert picks

Series odds (via Caesars): Brewers -125, Cubs +105

Anderson: I was wrong about the Padres beating the Cubs. I still have concerns about that club, and specifically the dire second halves put forth by some key players — Pete Crow-Armstrong, Matthew Boyd, and Shota Imanaga. There’s enough talent on Chicago’s roster to overcome some underperformance, but the deeper they go into the postseason, the tougher it gets. To wit, here the Cubs will encounter the Brewers, the best team in baseball during the regular season by record and run differential. I can’t think of a reason to pick against the Brewers. Pick: Brewers in 5

Axisa: This is purely a vibes pick. The Brewers are a great, great team, but so are the Cubs, and what happened in the regular season doesn’t matter now. It’s a fresh start and a new season. I love the way Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki are swinging the bat right now — they seem to be barreling everything up — and the bullpen is surprisingly great. I’m going with the Cubs here. Should be an exciting and chaotic series either way. Pick: Cubs in 4

McWilliams: If this were a seven-game series I would be inclined to pick the Cubs. But I think that Milwaukee is dangerous enough in a short series to take this. The Brewers play fundamental baseball, they pitch, and do all the little things right. Pick: Brewers in 5

Perry: Rest, roster depth, and Freddy Peralta make the (narrow) difference for me. The flipside of rest is fatigue, and I think that could be a factor for the Chicago bullpen in this series. Tough call, but I’m leaning Craig Counsell’s old team over his new one. Pick: Brewers in 5

Snyder: I think the Brewers are ripe for the picking here. Their offense is inferior to the Cubs and their rotation behind Freddy Peralta is pretty roughed up right now. Of course, the Cubs have questions in their rotation, too, so I wouldn’t be surprised to be wrong. I’m just going with my gut that the Cubs are slightly better at this very moment after a worse regular season. Pick: Cubs in 4