The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Check out our MLB odds series for our Cardinals Brewers prediction and pick.

Jack Flaherty starts for the Cardinals, while Chi Chi Gonzalez starts for the Brewers.

This is a true “Mystery Theater” baseball game, relative to the pitching matchup we have. Flaherty has made only one start this year after returning from injury, and Gonzalez has made just two starts this season before being claimed by the Brewers off waivers from the Twins. Flaherty’s one start and Gonzalez’s two starts were all mediocre. It is a total coin flip as to whether either man will establish a higher standard of performance in this game. This is a total 50-50 proposition, a complete jump-ball. Normally, we talk a lot more about the pitching matchups in these betting overviews because the pitchers normally have provided a lot more data within the course of the given season, but this is obviously an exception.

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

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Brewers Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+118)

Milwaukee Brewers: +1.5 (-142)

Over: 9.5 (+100)

Under: 9.5 (-122)

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Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread

In a game where the pitching matchup offers few to no clues about who will win, the team-specific focus might provide a better path. The Cardinals were dominated by Corbin Burnes in their Monday night loss to the Brewers. Some might say that’s not a reason to take St. Louis in this Tuesday game, but remember: Over a 162-game season, teams have bad games. They run into unfavorable matchups against elite pitchers. The next day, if they are not facing a comparably good pitcher, they can bust loose. One has to admit that the gap between Corbin Burnes and Chi Chi Gonzalez is as wide as the Grand Canyon. A day after facing Burnes and his “Filthy McNasty” stuff, going up against Gonzalez might feel like a tropical island vacation. The Cardinals could certainly hammer Gonzalez and score so many runs that a bad outing from a rusty Jack Flaherty won’t matter at all.

Why The Brewers Could Cover the Spread

After struggling for a few weeks, the Brewers seem to have their groove back. They swept the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend. Then Corbin Burnes did his thing against the Cardinals on Monday night, pitching seven dominant innings to put Milwaukee ahead of St. Louis in the National League Central standings. Milwaukee has weathered the storm, enduring a two-week stretch of brutally bad baseball without paying a supreme price. The Cardinals, who lost a weekend series in Boston, did not widen the gap in the N.L. Central standings to the extent they had hoped. Milwaukee has more momentum right now and is coming to the ballpark with restored confidence. The Brewers took several punches and then punched out the Cardinals on Monday. It’s hard to avoid the notion that Milwaukee is the ascendant team in this matchup and will ride the wave a little longer. With Jack Flaherty still very shaky after coming back from injury, his past achievements mean nothing in the context of this game on Tuesday.

Final Cardinals-Brewers Prediction & Pick

If Jack Flaherty pitches like his old — and best — self, of course the Cardinals will win, but we don’t have any idea how well these pitchers will perform. It’s a true stay-away game. The best bet, if you insist on making a pick, is the over.

Final Cardinals-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Over 9.5