As you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, enjoy a National League showdown as the Milwaukee Brewers (18-13) take on the San Francisco Giants (13-17). The Giants will host this first of a three-game series at Oracle Park, with first pitch scheduled for 10:15 pm ET.
The Brewers are the favorites despite playing on the road. They are -146 to win, while the Giants’ moneyline sits at +124. The runline features San Francisco +1.5 (-137), and the over/under for total runs is eight (-110).
Brewers Look To Ace To Set Tone For The Series
At 18-13, the Milwaukee Brewers currently sit in second in the NL Central, 1.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. Having lost seven of their last ten, the Brewers will hope their ace, Corbin Burnes, can set the tone early in this road series.
In six games this season, Burnes is 3-1 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and he has 27 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work. In his last start, a win over the Los Angeles Angels, he allowed one run on five hits over six innings of work. He struck out five in the victory.
Offensively, the Brewers rank 16th in the majors in scoring, averaging 4.37 runs per game (4.13 on the road). Leading the way for Milwaukee is first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who is hitting .258/.333/.577 with a team-leading nine home runs and 22 runs batted in.
Willy Adames (5 HR), Brian Anderson (5 HR, 20 RBI), and Christian Yelich (4 HR, 13 RBI) also have had decent starts to the year.
Giants Look To Make It Three In A Row
After taking the last two games of their series with the Houston Astros, the Giants would love to make it three wins in a row with a home win over Milwaukee. This season, San Francisco is 7-7 when playing at Oracle Park.
San Francisco’s offense is averaging 4.50 runs per game in the early going, good for 14th overall. J.D. Davis and Lamont Wade Jr have done the most damage for the Giants early on as they have six home runs apiece.
Keep an eye on Joc Pederson in this game. In 16 career at bats versus Corbin Burnes, he is hitting .313 with a home run and three runs batted in. In 60 at bats this season, he is hitting .250/.352/.483 with three home runs and 13 runs batted in.
On the mound for the Giants is lefty Sean Manaea. The 31-year-old has had a rough start to the season this year. In six games, he is 0-1 with a 7.85 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and he has 21 strikeouts in 18.1 innings of work.
As a unit, the Giants rank 24th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 5.10 runs per game (4.71 at home.
Take Milwaukee To Win The Opener
Looking at the trends, the Brewers are just 1-4 in their last five games overall, but they are 6-1 in their last seven games played on a Friday. In six of the last nine games for Milwaukee, the UNDER has hit.
As for the Giants, they are 2-4 in their last six games, but they are 5-1 in their last six home games. In their last five home games against Milwaukee (stemming back to previous seasons), they are 4-1.
This one comes down to the pitching. While Corbin Burnes has not been quite as elite as normal, he is still far and away better than Sean Manaea. Don’t be surprised if the Brewers are able to jump out early on the lefty.
Take Milwaukee to win this one straight up (-146) on the road.
