St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers Betting Preview
The top two teams in the National League Central will square off Tuesday as the St. Louis Cardinals (80-69) take on the Milwaukee Brewers (91-59). The Brewers will host this one at American Family Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:40 pm ET.
This is the second of a four-game series between the two teams. The Cardinals took Monday’s opener 5-2.
In the win, Jon Lester went six innings and allowed just two runs on three hits. Nolan Arenado hit his 33rd home run of the season in the victory.
Freddy Peralta had a quality start after going six innings of three-run ball, but he still was saddled with the loss. Avisail Garcia and Luis Urias both homered in the loss.
The Brewers are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -212 to win while the Cardinals’ moneyline sits at +193. The over/under for total runs is 7.5 (-110).
Pitching Matchup
St. Louis will turn to righty Jake Woodford as the Cardinals look to keep surging. This season, he is 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and he has struck out 40 in 52.1 innings pitched.
The Brewers will counter with Brandon Woodruff (9-9, 2.55 ERA). Woodruff currently has the fifth-best odds of winning the NL Cy Young award (+5000), but he is just 2-3 with a 3.55 ERA in his last seven starts.
By The Numbers
The Brewers have had the stronger offense throughout the season. They currently rank 10th in scoring averaging 4.64 runs per game. The Cardinals rank 24th, averaging 4.24 runs per game, but they are averaging 6.33 over their last three games.
Defensively, it is again the Brewers with the advantage. They rank third in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents just 3.73 runs per game (4.26 at home). The Cardinals rank 13th allowing 4.22 runs per game (4.55 on the road).
Cardinals Look To Stay Hot
St. Louis has been arguably the hottest team in baseball as of late. In fact, coming into play Tuesday, they have won nine consecutive games, and they hold a 3.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the second wild-card spot.
Nolan Arenado continues to show why he was such a good pickup last offseason. In addition to his stellar defense, he is also leading the team in home runs (33) and runs batted in (101).
One player to keep an eye on is Tyler O’Neill. He has been red hot as of late, hitting .368/.455/.895 with three home runs and ten runs batted in over the last week. He also has three home runs off of Brandon Woodruff in his career.
Brewers Look To Show Division Dominance
At 91-59, the Brewers have dominated the NL Central this year. Despite the strong play from the Cardinals as of late, Milwaukee still holds a 10.5-game lead over St. Louis. On Tuesday, they will look to continue their dominance over the NL Central.
With another home run on Monday, Avisail Garcia continues to lead the team in both home runs (28) and runs batted in (83).
The Brewers also welcomed back shortstop Willy Adames on Monday. Coming off of the injured list, he is hitting .291/.371/.523 with 17 home runs, 51 runs batted in, and 52 runs scored in just 327 at-bats since being acquired earlier in the season.
Take The Brewers To Stop Cardinals’ Streak
Without a doubt, the Cardinals have been absolutely sizzling lately and are a nightmare matchup for any team currently.
Still, the pitching matchup in this one heavily favors the Brewers with Brandon Woodruff on the mound. Don’t be surprised if the Cardinals keep it close, so eyeing the runline might not be a bad play, but expect Woodruff and the Brewers to even the series Tuesday.
Take Milwaukee to win.
