The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers finish off their four-game series this afternoon. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cubs-Brewers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Cubs won their second straight game over the Brewers yesterday but at a cost. All-star shortstop Dansby Swanson left the game early with a foot injury, adding to the growing list of injury concerns for the Cubs.  Still, there is hope he will be back for the game today. In the game, the Brewers had control through much of it. Adrian Houster went five innings and gave up just one run. Willy Adames hit a home run in the sixth, and Brian Anderson drove in another run in the inning in his return from the Paternity List.

Down 3-1 going into the ninth, the Cubs rallied. Mike Tauchman hit a double, scoring two to tie the game. He then scored on a throwing error by Brian Anderson to give the Cubs the win. Chicago will be looking to make it three straight wins, as they close out the series today.

Here are the Cubs-Brewers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cubs-Brewers Odds

Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+158)

Milwaukee Brewers: +1.5 (-192)

Over: 8 (-102)

Under: 8 (-120)

How To Watch Cubs vs. Brewers

TV: MARQ/BSWI

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 2:10 PM ET/ 11:10 AM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Cubs are starting to make up ground in the NL Central. Sitting at 40-45, they are now just seven games back in the division, which may lead to the Cubs being buyers at the trade deadline. They may be in the market for a power bat. While the Cubs are 13th in runs and 11th in on-base percentage, they are 21st in slugging and could use some more pop in their lineup.

In the last week, only three guys have hit a home run, with two coming from Christopher Morel. Morel has been hitting well in the last seven days. He is hitting .345 with two home runs, three doubles, and seven RBIs. Morel has also scored five times in the last seven games. Joining him with the hot bat is Cody Bellinger. Bellinger is hitting .444 in the last week. He has also scored six times, but he has only driven in three runs. Of his 12 hits, he has just one extra-base hit, which was a double. Bellinger has seven home runs on the year, but his last one came on April 30th.

Patrick Wisdom is second on the team in home runs, but he is in a prolonged slump. He missed time at the end of June and does not have a hit in the series. Still, since June 2nd, he is just two for 27 at the plate with 16 strikeouts. The Cubs would love to see his power return to the lineup for this one.

On the hill today will be Marcus Stroman, who is 9-6 on the season with a 2.76 ERA. Stroman has struggled in his last two starts. At the beginning of June, he went 4-0 in four starts with a 1.40 ERA. Since then, in two starts, he has only pitched nine inning, giving up 11 runs, with eight of them earned. That is good for an ERA of 8.00 in his last two starts.

Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread

The Brewers have lost the last two games, and are now two games back of the Reds for first place in the division. The offense has been better as of late. They have scored 34 runs in the last five games, good for 6.8 runs per game, well above their season average. On the season, they are tied for 24th in total runs, averaging 4.2 runs per game. They are 28th in batting average while sitting 25th in on base percentage and 26th in slugging.

Driving in a lot of those runs as of late has been William Contreras. In the last week, he has seven RBIs with the help of a home run and a double. He is also hitting .364 in that period and has scored nine times. Christian Yelich is also driving in plenty of Runs. He is hitting .385 in the last week, with six RBIs. He also has a home run, a double, and a triple in that period. Yelich is also showing solid plate discipline. He has struck out just one while walking four times.

While not hitting amazing, Willy Adames is joining the RBI parade. He has five in the last week, with a home run and four doubles. He is hitting .267 with a .324 OBP. It has truly been a team effort scoring so well as of late. The Brewers have seen 13 of the 14 guys who have taken an at bat in the last week drive a run-in. Meanwhile, all 14 guys have scored at least one run in the last week.

On the hill for the Brewers today will be Freddy Peralta. Peralta is 5-7 on the season so far with a 4.67 ERA. Peralta has been fairly consistent lately. In all six starts in June, he went between five and six innings. In all six starts, he gave up between two and four runs. Peralta also gave up a home run in five of the six starts last month. The results were not good though, as he lost three games and did not record a win.

Final Cubs-Brewers Prediction & Pick

If Marcus Stroman can get back to his form from early June, and past his recent struggles the Cubs should win this one with ease. Peralta is a guarantee to give up at least two runs, and potentially a few more. If Stroman is shut down, then a low-scoring victory will be happening. Still, the Brewers have some bats that can do some damage. They will be without Rowdy Tellez, which is a solid power bat, but Contreras and Yelich can make up for that. This should be a tight final game of the series. With that, take the extra runs and the Brewers in a low-scoring game.

Final Cubs-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Brewers +1.5 (-192) and Under 8 (-120)