Gray, St. Louis Favored in Opener Versus Milwaukee
Cardinals vs Brewers Series Preview Expect a Strong Start From STL
The St. Louis Cardinals visit the Milwaukee Brewers for a four-game series beginning Thursday. St. Louis is in last place in the NL Central. The Cardinals have dropped four straight games while the Brewers are tied with the Cubs atop the NL Central (Milwaukee has a slight edge in winning percentage). The Cardinals vs Brewers series preview shows St. Louis is -135 in the opening game with a total of 8-under (-115).
Milwaukee is just 7-7 at home this season and 14-8 on the road. The Cardinals will send Sonny Gray to the mound in the opener against Tobias Myers.
St. Louis can attribute many struggles to an offense that hasn’t done the job. The MLB stats show the Cardinals are No. 28 in team batting average. The Cardinals are tied for the fewest home runs in the league and are No. 27 in on-base percentage. The offense has to get better for St. Louis to contend.
The pitching has been average up until this point, with St. Louis at No. 15 in team ERA. The bullpen hasn’t been bad and is 12 for 15 in save opportunities, but don’t get that many chances to close out games. Several of the starters have solid numbers, although a few could use some improvement.
The Brewers don’t have to worry about their offense, which is No. 7 in team batting. The Milwaukee bats have good power and are No. 6 in home runs. The Brewers are also third in stolen bases and fourth in on-base percentage.
Milwaukee’s pitching staff has been a little disappointing so far. The Brewers have some decent arms, but Milwaukee sits No. 19 in team ERA. The bullpen has been solid but has struggled at home a bit.
Cardinals vs Brewers 
Records: St. Louis Cardinals (15-21), Milwaukee Brewers (21-15)
Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Day/Time: Streams: Bally Sports Wisconsin
Thursday’s Game (Game 1)
Gray has been solid for the Cardinals and pitched well against Milwaukee earlier this season. He was on the losing end of a 2-0 decision, however, as the Cardinals are giving him just 3.2 runs of support per start. St. Louis has gone 4-1 in the games Gray has started this season.
Myers has struggled a bit and Milwaukee has dropped all three games he’s started. He pitched well once, with the other two starts leaving a bit to be desired. His biggest problem has been the home run ball. Myers has allowed five homers in just 13 innings. That may not be as much of an issue against St. Louis.
The MLB betting lines are pretty much as expected in this game. Gray has to be the favorite after his dominating start. The total may be a bit high, but the 6.23 ERA of Myers justifies it. With St. Louis not showing plenty of power, the MLB expert picks will be on the under in this game.
Friday’s Game (Game 2)
The Cardinals vs Brewers series preview shows that neither team has named a starting pitcher for this game. Lance Lynn would be up in the St. Louis rotation. Freddy Peralta followed Myers in the Milwaukee rotation last time But the Brewers list him for Saturday. Don’t be surprised to see Milwaukee use a bullpen game or make a last-minute call-up from the minors.
Lynn has pitched pretty well for the Cardinals this season. He’s been better on the road than at home. St. Louis has won two of these three road starts. He also has a 1.13 ERA away from home. Depending on what the Brewers do with their starting pitcher, there could be some value for the Cardinals in this game.
Saturday’s Game (Game 3)
Kyle Gibson is slated to get the start for the Cardinals against Peralta. Both starters have pitched well, but the Brewers are 6-1 with Perala on the mound. The Cardinals are 3-4 when Gibson starts. The big difference is run support. St. Louis has scored 22 runs in Gibson’s seven starts. Milwaukee has scored 37 runs in the seven games Peralta has started.
Gibson has pitched a little better on the road this season and St. Louis is 2-1 in his away starts. Peralta has been pretty steady regardless of location. The Brewers are going to be favored here a decent amount. Milwaukee has the better team and Peralta is a little better than Gibson. St. Louis could be a fair-value play in this spot if the number opens too high.
Sunday’s Game
The Cardinals vs Brewers series preview is expecting to see Miles Mikolas and Bryse Wilson on the mound for the finale. Mikolas has had some good starts and some ugly ones this season. He’s coming off his worst game of the year and St. Louis is 2-6 when he takes the mound. He’s been bad both home and away.
Wilson has been solid for the Brewers, who are 2-2 when he starts. He’s gone six innings in each of his last two starts and has allowed just one run. Milwaukee didn’t help him any and the Brewers dropped both games. The Brewers have scored just six runs in four starts and the highest-scoring game he’s pitched in this season was a 3-2 win against Pittsburgh. The under is a definite possibility in this game.
Cardinals vs Brewers Odds
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