The Cubs Turned Game 5 Into a Mind Game Before the First Pitch

Highlights

• The Cubs waited until noon on Game 5 day to announce Drew Pomeranz as their starter in the win-or-go-home NLDS finale.
• Pomeranz has dominated the Brewers this year but has not started a postseason game.
• Milwaukee has yet to announce its starter, possibly to limit the Cubs’ prep time.
• The Brewers’ home-field access to a Trajekt machine adds another layer to the gamesmanship.

With it all coming down to one Game 5, the Chicago Cubs are pushing all their chips in and rolling the dice. 

Drew Pomeranz, the 36-year-old left-hander who’s spent most of the season as an opener, will start Saturday night with the Cubs’ postseason hanging by a thread. 

The announcement didn’t come until noon Eastern time — an unusually late reveal that seemed deliberate. Milwaukee, still withholding its own starter, has the advantage of home-field technology, including a Trajekt machine that can replicate any pitcher’s release point and pitch shape. The later the Cubs held their decision, the less time the Brewers had to program and practice against him.

But, it is not like the Brewers will be caught off guard. 

Pomeranz has been dominant against Milwaukee this year — a 2.17 ERA, 1.07 WHIP overall, and seven scoreless appearances against the Brewers across the regular season and postseason. 

But this assignment is different. He’s never started a playoff game, and Chicago’s season depends on him to steal the first inning before the full bullpen churn takes over. 

The Choice

The plan makes baseball sense, even if it reads like a gamble.

 Pomeranz’s high fastball and big curveball are built to disrupt the Brewers’ lefty-heavy top of the order. In seven total games against them this year, he’s faced 25 hitters, allowed just one hit, and hasn’t issued a walk. That history explains Counsell’s confidence, even as he asks a 36-year-old reliever to set the tone in the highest-stakes game of the year.

Counsell’s thinking is clear: get through the first inning or two clean, then hand the ball to Andrew Kittredge, Brad Keller, Colin Rea, or Aaron Civale. The Cubs’ bullpen is rested but reshuffled. Without Pomeranz the left-handed balance is gone.

The rest of the Cubs staff, including Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and maybe even Matthew Boyd, will likely be available too, considering the season is on the line.