The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals do battle Tuesday night in game 1 of an MLB series at American Family Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
The Cardinals need a win after losing 7 of their last 10 games. The Cardinals have the second-worst record in the NL. The Cardinals pitching staff is 25th in ERA (4.81), 27th in WHIP (1.46) and 23rd in quality starts (46). The Cardinals' offense is 18th in runs per game (4.44), 14th in batting average (.252) and 10th in homers (206). Paul Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals with 157 hits and 79 RBI, while Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras have combined for 262 hits and 160 RBI. Zack Thompson gets the ball, and he is 5-7 with a 4.57 ERA and 67 strikeouts this season. Thompson is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA and 7 strikeouts in his career against the Brewers.
St. Louis Cardinals Team Facts
- The Cardinals have won eight of their last nine night games against the Brewers following a road loss.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in 12 of their last 13 games against the Brewers following a road loss.
- The Cardinals have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games.
- The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six games.
Milwaukee Brewers Betting Preview
The Brewers look for a win after winning 6 of their last 10 games. The Brewers already clinched the NL Central. The Brewers pitching staff is 3rd in ERA (3.77), 2nd in WHIP (1.19) and 6th in quality starts (68). The Brewers' offense is 17th in runs per game (4.53), 23rd in batting average (.242) and 24th in homers (162). Christian Yelich leads the Brewers with 149 hits and 75 RBI, while William Contreras and Willy Adames have combined for 263 hits and 154 RBI. Adrian Houser gets the ball, and he is 7-4 with a 4.35 ERA and 86 strikeouts this season. Houser is 5-5 with a 3.03 ERA and 42 strikeouts in his career against the Cardinals.
Milwaukee Brewers Team Facts
- The Brewers have won each of their last 12 games at American Family Field following a loss.
- The Brewers have covered the run line in each of their last seven night games following a road loss.
- The Brewers have trailed after 7 innings in seven of their last 10 games as favorites against NL Central opponents.
- The Brewers have trailed after 5 innings in five of their last seven games as home favorites against NL Central opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Milwaukee Brewers rank 1st in the league for opponent batting average this season (.227).
- The Milwaukee Brewers rank 1st in the league for hits allowed this season (1175).
- The St. Louis Cardinals rank T29th in the league for triples this season (12).
- The St. Louis Cardinals rank 29th in the league for strikeouts this season (1165).
Randy’s Pick
The Cardinals continue to pile up the losses, and they're looking more and more like a team that's just waiting for the off season to arrive. The Brewers are still playing hard despite clinching the division, and Adrian Houser gives them a shot to keep things rolling. Houser has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs in 4 of his last 7 starts, and he's had good success against the Cardinals. Cheap price with the far and away better team in the Brewers at home. I'll take it.
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds