On Friday, Act II between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals will take place within the confines of Busch Stadium as the Brew Crew managed to squeak by the Red Birds in game one on Thursday. Without further ado, it is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Brewers-Cardinals prediction and pick will be made.

 

After an impressive showing by the Brewers that gave them another one-game cushion for the division lead, another strong starting pitching performance and bullpen showing could once again prove to be too much for the Cardinals to handle. Starting for Milwaukee will be no other than the two-time All-Star in Brandon Woodruff, who has a 5-2 record but a loftier 4.76 ERA in 2022.

Now 4.5 games back of Milwaukee for the top spot, the Cardinals will turn to RHP Dakota Hudson and his 3-2 record with a 3.60 ERA to try to snap their short two-game losing streak.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Brewers-Cardinals MLB odds.

MLB Odds: Brewers-Cardinals Odds

Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+125)

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-150)

Over: 7 (-115)

Under: 7 (-105)

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

Why The Brewers Could Cover the Spread

Sitting 13 games above .500 at 29-16, the Brewers are rolling. With a pitching staff that is officially on cruise control and a defense that rarely kicks themselves in the foot, Milwaukee is as fundamentally sound as they come. Serving as the defending division champs from 2021, the Brewers definitely look the part of a team that can win another NL Central crown when 2022 is all but said and done.

Currently the eighth-best offense in the league with 205 runs scored, the Brewers are so lethal because they back up the best aspects of their game by also terrorizing opposing pitching. With the ability to tear the cover off of the baseball each time they swing the lumber. The Brewers are also a great slugging team, as they have the capability to rack up extra-base hits and home runs over the fence. Milwaukee currently possesses the eighth-best slugging percentage with a .406 mark.

Reverting back to the pitching prowess that the Brew Crew has demonstrated themselves so well with, it is simply hard to hit against this group. With one of the best bullpens that the game has had to offer for a couple of seasons now, the Brewers are almost a surefire lock in getting a win whenever a starter can hold his own and pitch meaningful and efficient innings.

Bafflingly, the Brewers have yet to have a starter complete a quality start just yet, which is mind-boggling considering just how good they have been on the rubber.

While Woodruff has seen his ERA skyrocket, do not be misinformed. The now 29-year-old hurler is starting to heat up and has won five of his last six starts.

Why the Cardinals Could Cover the Spread

St. Louis managed to score a pair of runs in the opening frame to tie the game at 2-2, but were silenced for only one more additional run the rest of the way as they went down in defeat 4-3. Regardless of the shortcoming on Thursday, there seems to be no sense of panic on St. Louis' side of things, as don't forget that the Cardinals had won four in a row prior to their current two-game losing streak. The equation to get back to the win column is simple: score more runs.

With only four combined runs in their previous losses to the Blue Jays and Brewers, the Cardinals are a team that can jump on pitchers in a hurry with the bats. Ranking sixth in the league in runs, fifth in batting average, and fifth in on-base percentage, the Cardinals are a very scary offense when they are clicking on all cylinders. After only mustering four hits in the final three innings in yesterday's loss to Milwaukee, this is a group that is poised for a breakthrough.

With Hudson scheduled to be the starter to take the mound in this evening's contest, the 27-year-old from Tennessee will be facing the Brewers for the second time this year after he gave up four runs in only three innings pitched in his first outing. Hudson has surrendered more than ten runs in his last 20 innings tossed, but he has still pitched effectively as a whole in his eight starts.

As a squad, St. Louis has been an above-average pitching bunch, as they rank 13th in team ERA  with a 3.76 mark and also are tied with the eighth-most quality starts with 16, thus showcasing their starters' stamina to pitch deep into ballgames.

Final Brewers-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

These are clearly the two best teams within the NL Central, and while the Brewers pitching numbers suggest they are one of the best in baseball, don't expect them to hold a Cardinals team that is prone to be destructive against pitchers for much longer in the series. This matchup should be as close as it gets, but St. Louis will edge out Milwaukee and cover the +1.5 spread.

Final Brewers-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-150)