The National League Central division wasn’t supposed to be in play this year. But with the Chicago Cubs experiencing a World Series hangover, it’s the Milwaukee Brewers who sit atop the Central standings at 33-31, 8.53 betting units in the black. The Brew Crew visit the St. Louis Cardinals (29-32, –8.17 units) this Thursday in the finale of a four-game series, beginning at 7:15 PM ET.
Oddsmakers have the Cardinals listed as -135-moneyline favorites. The total is sitting at 9.5.
Tuesday’s double-header could mess up the pitching rotations, but in theory, it will be Junior Guerra (5.36 FIP) taking the mound for Milwaukee, and Michael Wacha (3.98 FIP) responding for St. Louis. Guerra has been very fortunate this year, posting a .219 BABIP with 91.6% of base runners left stranded, but the Brewers are still just 1-4 in his five starts for a loss of 2.31 units. The Cards are 4-7 in Wacha’s 11 starts, down 4.52 units after some shaky bullpen support early in the year and some uncharacteristically poor pitching from Wacha of late.
St. Louis also has to be concerned about catcher Yadier Molina (.694 OPS). He’s missed the past three games with a stiff lower back, although Monday’s off-day might be enough to get Molina ready for this series.
MLB Betting Trends
Milwaukee Brewers 35-32
Milwaukee is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals 30-34
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Recent Form
Team
record
money
vs LHP
vs RHP
Fave
Dog
O/U
Diff
Milwaukee
35-32
$903.00
8-9
27-23
12-9
22-23
38-26-3
0.23
St. Louis
30-34
-$726.00
7-8
23-26
22-19
8-14
34-28-2
-0.19
Pitchers Last 3 Starts
Zach Davies (7-3) ERA: 4.74
event date
Opponent
Result
score
OU Result
ip
money
Jun 9, 2017
ARI
W
8-6
O
5
$133.00
Jun 4, 2017
LA
W
3-0
U
6
$128.00
May 30, 2017
NYM
L
4-5
P
5
-$100.00
M Wacha (3-3) ERA: 4.50
event date
Opponent
Result
score
OU Result
ip
money
Jun 9, 2017
PHI
W
3-2
U
6
$57.00
Jun 4, 2017
CHC
L
6-7
O
4.1
-$100.00
May 30, 2017
LA
L
4-9
O
3
-$100.00
Bullpen
Milwaukee’s relievers have pitched 10.2 innings in the last 3 games.
St. Louis’s relievers have pitched 12.2 innings in the last 3 games.
Pitcher Recent Starts Vs Opponent
Milwaukee Brewers – Zach Davies
Date
score
Winner
ip
hits
Runs
Earned Runs
walks
strikeouts
Decision
May 1, 2017
7-5
MIL
5
7
2
2
2
3
No Decision
Apr 20, 2017
7-5
MIL
5.1
8
4
4
2
5
Win
Sep 11, 2016
2-1
MIL
7.1
5
1
1
1
7
No Decision
Aug 29, 2016
6-5
STL
6.1
7
3
3
0
9
No Decision
Jun 1, 2016
3-1
MIL
8
3
0
0
0
9
Win
St. Louis Cardinals – M Wacha
Date
score
Winner
ip
hits
Runs
Earned Runs
walks
strikeouts
Decision
May 1, 2017
7-5
MIL
6
7
4
4
1
5
No Decision
Jul 8, 2016
4-3
MIL
6.2
5
3
3
2
8
No Decision
Jul 3, 2016
9-8
STL
5
9
2
2
1
6
Win
Apr 11, 2016
10-1
STL
6
4
0
0
1
7
Win
Sep 24, 2015
7-3
STL
5
6
3
3
3
1
Win
Supergrid
Title
Stat
Rank
Stat
Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense
4.90
8
4.33
9
Away Team Away Scoring vs Home Team Home Defense
4.45
14
3.74
3
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense
4.14
26
4.67
17
Home Team Home Scoring vs Away Team Road Defense
4.03
26
4.19
7
Betting Odds Trends
Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
