Have you picked up on a theme yet for today's MLB action? Another divisional clash is scheduled for Thursday evening as the Milwaukee Brewers will put their NL Central lead to the test as they begin a series with the second place St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Let's take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Brewers-Cardinals prediction and pick will be made.
With a record of 28-16, the Brewers are officially humming and have put themselves in the contender discussion among NL clubs. Traveling to St. Louis will be no easy task, but Milwaukee can make up some serious ground in the division with some wins against the Cardinals. Southpaw Eric Lauer will give it his best shot against the Red Birds after he has pitched to a very impressive 4-1 record with a 2.16 ERA.
After their four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Tuesday in an 8-1 loss to the Blue Jays, the ‘Cards are back at it again for a weekend slate against the Brewers. St. Louis will give the ball to the savvy veteran himself in Adam Wainwright, who is 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA in his eight starts combined.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Brewers-Cardinals MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Brewers-Cardinals Odds
Milwaukee Brewers: +1.5 (-194)
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+160)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
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Why The Brewers Could Cover the Spread
After coming up short against the Padres in game one of their last series, the Brewers buckled down and reeled off two consecutive wins versus San Diego to come out victorious in their fourth straight series. Even with notable injuries to reliever Josh Hader, shortstop Willy Adames, and OF Hunter Renfroe, Milwaukee has been full steam ahead and they don't appear to be stopping anytime soon.
With a pitching duel most likely in effect between these two franchises who despise one another, the Brewers must take advantage of every single opportunity they are faced with in order to win and ultimately cover the spread.
Offensively, there isn't much Milwaukee can't do, as the Brewers are clearly a top ten hitting squad when looking purely at the numbers. More specifically, the Brew Crew excels at crushing the baseball out of the park and for extra-base hits. With the seventh-best slugging percentage at .404, the Brewers use this thriving part of their game to score runs at a feverish rate.
Additionally, the name to circle if the Brewers are going to cover the spread and have a big impact on the outcome of this one has to be the possible pitcher of record in Eric Lauer, who has posted a 2.32 ERA in his previous 21 starts dating back to last season. With his increased ability to generate strikeouts in 2022, Lauer appears even more deadly on the rubber than he ever has before. Not to mention, but no Cardinals hitter is hitting at least .250 off of Lauer in their careers.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread
Offense, offense, and more offense. Capitalizing on some offensive production in the early frames of this one should strike some panic and put pressure on the Brewers to respond. While St. Louis has yet to truly figure Lauer out 0n the mound, it is hard to ignore how good this Red Birds offense has truly been in 2022.
Taking a deeper look at the bats and what makes the Cardinals such a dangerous team, St. Louis is averaging just south of five runs per game at 4.87, and are tied for fifth in total runs scored in the entire league with 208. Also, Cardinals hitters are barreling the baseball to the tune of a .255 batting average, as only two other teams in baseball have a higher mark. St. Louis may have struggled against Toronto in scoring only one run, but expect a bounce-back performance from the bats if the Cardinals end up covering the spread.
Can the ageless wonder do it again? At the ripe age of 40, Adam Wainwright continues to build off in what should be a near-lock of a Hall-Of-Fame career. Obviously, in the twilight of his storied career, Wainwright is fresh off a captivating performance in which he tossed seven innings and only allowed one run on four hits in the 5-3 win against Pittsburgh last Friday.
Final Brewers-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
One of the more highly anticipated matchups of the night, this game has the makings to be one of the best contests of the young season. While there should be fewer runs scored in this one in large part due to the dominating names on the mound, this game will be close in the concluding frames. The difference-maker? Look no further than the Milwaukee bullpen, as they rank second in WAR, are first in saves, and have the fourth-highest strikeout rate. This unit will deliver a hard-earned victory when called upon.
Final Brewers-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Brewers +1.5 (-194)
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