Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
In this opening game of a three-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, both teams are ready for what should be an entertaining series.
The Brewers come in with a 3-5 record since the trade deadline, while the Cardinals have won eight of their last ten games. With the Brewers currently on a two-game winning streak and just a half-game behind first, will they have enough to keep it alive against and bounce the Cardinals?
This season, the Brewers are 60-50 for second in the NL West. The Cardinals are first in the NL West with a 61-50 record.
Milwaukee Brewers Hope to Keep Winning
The Milwaukee Brewers have been one of the league’s best hitting teams all season and have continued to do so despite their rough go at games lately. Despite winning back-to-back games, the Brewers have won four of their last ten games and look to turn things around this series.
In their last five games, the Brewers have scored 21 runs for an average of 4.2 per game. On the year, they are averaging 4.6 runs and have the 10th most runs scored.
When fielding, the Brewers have allowed 18 runs in the same five-game span and averaged 3.6 runs. Compared to their season average of 4.3, this is an improvement as they are currently ranked 16th in runs allowed.
Milwaukee’s pitching squad is currently ranked 11th with an ERA of 3.85 and have the third most strikeouts with 1,037.
Eric Lauer starts tonight with an 8-3 record and an ERA 3.59. Lauer has won his last three starts with an ERA of 2.00 in that span and will look to keep his and the team’s streaks alive.
Keep the Offense, Fix the Defense
After a disappointing 1-2 trip to Colorado, the St. Louis Cardinals look to turn things around now back at home. Despite a 8-2 record in their last ten games, they are just 3-2 in their last five and look to get back on track.
Over the last five games, the Cardinals’ offense has been outstanding, with a total of 33 runs which is an average of 6.6 per game. Throughout the season, the Cardinals have the seventh-most runs and average 4.7 per game.
On defense, the Cardinals allowed 38 runs in their last five games despite a shutout in one of them. In that span, they averaged 7.6 runs against, which is much higher than their season average of 4.1. The Cardinals have allowed the seventh-least runs against with 450 total.
Their pitching unit has struggled slightly this season with a team ERA of 3.95, which is ranked 17th. Of all currently first-place teams, the Cardinals have the lowest ERA by five rankings.
Jordan Montgomery will get the start with a 4-3 record and an ERA of 3.53. Montgomery won his first start since being traded to the Cardinals and hopes to keep it up and will need the fielding to step up to help.
Betting Pick
With a battle for first place in the NL Central set between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, fans and sports bettors can expect quite the game for Friday night.
Coming into the series, the Brewers had a night of rest Thursday, while the St. Louis Cardinals finished off their three-game road series in Colorado during Thursday afternoon. Both teams have been great this year, with the Brewers starting to turn things around since the deadline while the Cardinals have started to struggle slightly.
The pitching matchup of Lauer and Montgomery should keep things interesting as Lauer looks for his fourth-straight win while Montgomery looks to get his second win in his second start for the Cardinals.
Prior to being traded, Montgomery failed to win a game in six straight games with the Yankees, with an ERA of 4.91 in that span. Could he fall into his old ways?
In a game against a division rival and a chance to take control of the first place, the Brewers have a great chance to pull this one away from the Cardinals.
With the recent success from the Brewers and recent struggles from the Cardinals, take the chance on this series kicking off with a division lead change. Bet on the Brewers in this one as they look to get their third-straight win.
Take the Milwaukee Brewers ML.
