The St. Louis Cardinals open a six game divisional road swing tonight as they square off against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. This evening’s series opener is scheduled to get underway at 8:10pm ET. Thursday MLB Odds have the visiting Cardinals, who presently lead the NL Central with a 16-11 record, listed as a -110 moneyline favorite ($110 wins $100) to take tonight’s game one clash. The Over/Under is set at nine runs; the Under is favored at -115 odds.
The Cardinals enter their four game set with the Brewers off a 3-3 home stand; however, they appear to have a little momentum after reeling off back to back wins over the fourth place Cincinnati Reds.
St. Louis rebounded from three consecutive losses by knocking off Cincy 2-1 and 4-2, allowing it to stay on top of a tightly contested NL Central (Pittsburgh half game back, Milwaukee 1.5 games back).
The Cards, who have allowed a total of five runs in their last three games, will look to keep the handcuffs out tonight as Jake Westbrook makes his fifth start of the season. Westbrook has a mediocre 1.37 WHIP, a lackluster 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio, and a .247 batting average against, but, incredibly, his ERA is a paltry 0.98. Despite Westbrook having allowed just three earned runs in his four starts, St. Louis is 1-3 with the veteran righty on the hill.
The Brewers, who are coming off a 2-1 series win over the Pirates at Miller Park, will chase their 15th win with rookie right hander Wily Peralta toeing the rubber. The Dominican native is 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in five appearances this season, but he has earned a quality start in three of those outings, including the last two.
Notable Trends: The Brewers are 7-0 in their last seven games as a home underdog with a moneyline spread between 100 and 120.
MLB Odds St. Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+140), Over 9 (-105), -110 (Moneyline)
Milwaukee Brewers +1.5 (-160), Under 9 (-115), +100 (Moneyline)
Baseball Betting Tips from Chuck Edel & Johnny Detroit
Chuck Edel is a well respected gambler / handicapper who appears on numerous radio shows and is frequently featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal. He sits down with Johnny Detroit and goes over some of his personal MLB betting tips.