Were the Chicago Cubs broken by the Milwaukee Brewers?

In a recent edition of FOX Major League Baseball, the topic of the Cubs’ slump came up and the two on-air analysts were blunt in how Milwaukee may be living rent free in the collective minds of the North Siders.

“I’m very concerned because I think, no matter how well they play, the Brew Crew is still in the back of their minds and they showed that just a couple days ago,” said Dontrelle Willis, a former MLB pitcher and one-time Cubs prospect.

Studio host Kevin Burkhardt followed that up with his own analysis of the situation.

“I think they’re still reeling from the Brewers series,” Burkhardt pointed out. “You know, you’re flying high. They won fifteen straight at home. They were looking good. And then the Brewers come in and wipe them out at Wrigley, and I don’t think they’ve recovered from it.”

The Brewers’ sweep of the Cubs at home had to register some serious impact, of course. It was not only a confidence-rattling drubbing through three not very competitive games, it also made way for Milwaukee to officially replace Chicago atop the division.

And, as Burkhardt mentioned, it came as the Cubs were viewed as all but invincible at home.

Milwaukee is not going to slow down

The especially sobering part of this tough situation is that the Cubs have to know by now that the Brewers are not going away. It’s most likely that they’re going to be just as sharp and effective throughout the rest of the season as they are right now. A case could be made that this year’s Brewers team is even better than last years, despite having lost Freddy Peralta via trade and Brandon Woodruff via current IL stint.

MLB Network analyst Joel Sherman, when asked about whether this 2026 Brewers squad is better than the 2025 crew, his answer should give Cubs fans a collective queasy feeling.

[Yes]. I’m not even sure it’s close,” Sherman dead-panned.

If Chicago is going to keep pace—and exceed pace—they’re going to have to get their stuff together and start playing up to their on-paper promise. The Brewers won’t be beating themselves like the Cubs are doing right now.

“We’ve struggled as a team for two weeks here,” Manager Craig Counsell told reporters after losing the seventh in a row on Saturday. “While frustrating, it’s still two weeks, you know? We’re going to come out of this. It’s going to be fine. We’re a good baseball team. It’s all going to happen, but while you go through it, you got to sit in some discomfort.”