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It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Brewers-Giants prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Brewers Giants.
The 2024 National League wild card race appears to be a four-team pursuit involving the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves. The San Francisco Giants are eight games out of the race. They are under .500 with just under 20 games left to play. They are essentially done. They grabbed Matt Chapman and Blake Snell in the offseason, but their swings and misses for Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa (rejected because of a physical) haunt the franchise today. The team which won the National League West in an epic race with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 and seemed poised to be great for several years has instead collapsed into mediocrity. The Giants need a substantial roster improvement and makeover for 2025. It's not about finding one or two pieces to knit things together; no, the Giants need extensive improvements to their batting order and their bullpen. It's going to be a long winter by the bay, especially if San Francisco can't dramatically reorganize its roster.
The Milwaukee Brewers are as much of an overachiever as the Giants are an underachiever in 2024. The Brewers lost Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles and were not supposed to have a particularly strong offense to compensate. Yet, the Brew Crew has been terrific under first-year manager Pat Murphy, who has taken over from Craig Counsell (who went to the Cubs) and has likely done enough to earn National League Manager of the Year honors. Youngsters such as Jackson Chourio have been instrumental in helping the Brewers rise above preseason expectations, but Milwaukee has also blossomed because the starting rotation has answered the call and Willy Adames has been a three-run-homer-hitting machine. The Brewers have been one of the best three-run-home-run teams in baseball, a callback to the Earl Weaver Baltimore Orioles of the 1970s. Clutch hits, big hits, long hits — the Brewers have piled them up. They have gone through a hitting lull over the past week and have slumped, but overall, they have been one of baseball's best stories in 2024. They will win the NL Central and return to the playoffs.
Brewers-Giants Projected Starters
Aaron Civale vs. Hayden Birdsong
Aaron Civale (5-8) has a 4.62 ERA. The overall numbers don't look good, but Civale has been better in recent weeks. The Brewers will likely give him the ball in a wild card series. They need the veteran to step up for this pitching staff.
Last Start: Tuesday, September 3 versus the St Louis Cardinals: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 HR, 0 BB, 7 K
2024 Road Splits: 12 starts, 55 2/3 IP, 66 H, 45 R, 12 HR, 26 BB, 50 K
Hayden Birdsong (3-5) has a 5.19 ERA. Birdsong has, like the Giants, been inconsistent this season. He shows glimpses of potential but the overall product isn't particularly good. The Giants want to see real improvements in September so that they can develop Birdsong into a much more dependable 2025 starter.
Last Start: Wednesday, September 4 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 5 BB, 4 K
2024 Home Splits: 5 starts, 22 IP, 19 H, 12 R, 4 HR, 15 BB, 25 K
Here are the Brewers-Giants MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Brewers-Giants Odds
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (no price listed)
Moneyline: not listed
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (no price listed)
Moneyline: not listed
Over: not listed
Under: not listed
How to Watch Brewers vs Giants
Time: 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT
TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin (Brewers) / NBC Sports Bay Area (Giants) / MLB Extra Innings, ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (Free trial)
Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread/Win
The lack of listed odds 21 hours before first pitch suggests that there might be uncertainty about whether the listed pitchers, Civale and Birdsong, will both take the mound for this game. That said, Milwaukee is a much better team than San Francisco. The Brewers have incentive to play hard. They are 3.5 games behind the Phillies and Dodgers for home-field advantage and a wild card bye in the playoffs. There are ample reasons to pick Milwaukee other than the pitching matchup.
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Giants are playing for their jobs in 2025. No one wants to be cut from an MLB roster. Guys on the fence know they need to do something of note in September to avoid getting released.
Final Brewers-Giants Prediction & Pick
The lack of a listed set of odds and prices (21 hours before first pitch) merits a wait-and-see approach to this game.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Brewers-Giants Prediction & Pick: Brewers -1.5
