Subscribe
Follow Us
The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Check out our MLB odds series for our Cardinals Brewers prediction and pick.
Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals, while Corbin Burnes takes the mound for the Brewers in this battle of aces.
Miles Mikolas came within one out of throwing a no-hitter in his most recent start last week against the Pirates. Mikolas has dazzled in his last two outings, pitching eight or more innings in each appearance (the other one was against the Rays) and giving up a combined total of two earned runs in 16 2/3 innings. Mikolas had a choppy series of four starts in late May and early June in which he gave up 16 runs. However, in his other nine starts this year, Mikolas has given up a grand total of just 10 runs. He had a 1.52 ERA in April. His bumpy set of starts in late May caused his May ERA to rise to 3.77. In June, Mikolas is posting a 2.49 ERA, and his last two starts clearly indicate he has solved problems after his late-May struggles.
Corbin Burnes has a 2.52 ERA. He gave up more than two runs in only two of his first 10 starts, on April 7 and May 18. Otherwise, he dominated. His April ERA was 1.75, and his May ERA was 2.08. He ended the month of May with a 1.95 ERA for the season. In June, Burnes has encountered more turbulence. He has had his two worst starts of the season. His ERA for the month of June, across three starts, is 5.14. The obvious reason for this regression is a lack of command. Burnes issued six walks in his first two starts this month. That's as many walks has he allowed in all of April, and one more than the five walks he allowed in the month of May.
Burnes did bounce back from his two rough June starts in his most recent outing, last week against the Mets. He went six innings and held a very good New York batting order to two runs. He walked none, regaining the control he briefly lost in his previous two starts.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Cardinals-Brewers MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Brewers Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-164)
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+136)
Over: 7.5 (-112)
Under: 7.5 (-108)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread
The Brewers did have a great series over the weekend in Cincinnati against the Reds, but does that mean they're fully back in charge in the National League Central? The Brewers had a rough pair of weeks preceding the Cincinnati series. The Cardinals were clearly the better team for an extensive period of time. Miles Mikolas is currently in better form than Corbin Burnes. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are better hitters than anyone Milwaukee has. Christian Yelich is not the MVP-level hitter he was a few seasons ago. The Brewers have shown they can get stymied by good pitching, more than the Cardinals have.
Why The Brewers Could Cover the Spread
After getting back on track against the Reds, the Brewers — who looked like their normal selves — will be confident and energized for this game. Corbin Burnes is used to the pressure and expectations of being a staff ace more than Miles Mikolas is. That will pay dividends in this game. Burnes answered the bell against the Mets, the best team in the National League, last week. That's a great lead-in to this game against the Cardinals.
Final Cardinals-Brewers Prediction & Pick
This is a toss-up. Mikolas or Burnes? Your guess is as good as mine. Stay away from the game, but if you insist on a pick, the under is probably the play.
Final Cardinals-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Under 7.5
