Pat Murphy's pitching decision leaves Cubs with unorthodox Game 2 lineup

Milwaukee Brewers fans were mostly surprised when Pat Murphy announced that reliever Aaron Ashby would start Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday night. Expecting to hear Quinn Priester or even José Quintana's name announced as the Game 2 starter, fans instead were informed that the Brewers would be going with the opener strategy as they look to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

While Ashby could be more than an opener, with Pat Murphy telling reporters a moment ago that he could pitch three or even four innings, the move forces Chicago Cubs' manager Craig Counsell's hand regardless of how many pitches Milwaukee's talented left-hander throws tonight.

Much like how Counsell forced Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to make a lineup decision in the 2018 NLCS by having Wade Miley face one batter before being pulled from the game, Murphy is forcing Counsell to make a decision, particularly when it comes to his first baseman at the top of the order.

For most of the second half of the regular season and throughout the postseason, Counsell has elected to put first baseman Michael Busch, who homered to start Game 1, in the leadoff spot. Here's the catch: Busch posted a .642 OPS against southpaws during the 2025 season, while maintaining a .910 OPS against right-handers. As such, Counsell had to decide whether to leave Busch in to face Ashby or replace him with the team's right-handed first baseman Justin Turner, who posted a wRC+ of 71 this season, 29% worse than the league-average hitter.

With the Cubs releasing their lineup just moments ago, Counsell's decision has been revealed.

Justin Turner leading off and playing first base for Cubs in Game 2

Counsell is electing to play match-up, slotting Turner into Busch's spot in the lineup to begin Monday night's game. Turner has yet to appear in a postseason game this season, not even collecting a pinch-hit at-bat in the Cubs’ first four playoff contests. Of course, Turner has plenty of playoff experience from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he will be playing in his first game since September 28 tonight.

Determined to neutralize the lefties at the top of the Cubs' lineup, Murphy's plan has worked out well. Busch, who has been the Cubs' best hitter of the postseason so far, with a 1.224 OPS in the playoffs to prove it, will now see at least one less at-bat in tonight's contest than he would have if the Brewers would have used Priester as a traditional starter. With Murphy announcing that Ashby could pitch as many as four innings, it's even possible that the Busch sees two less at-bats than he otherwise would have.

Moves and countermoves, that's what the postseason is all about. Murphy achieved his goal of keeping Michael Busch out of the starting lineup, and Counsell counters with a veteran hitter who has hit lefties well throughout his career (Turner holds a .818 OPS against southpaws in his career and a .759 mark this season). With first pitch less roughly two hours away, it won't be long before fans see which decision wins out.