The Milwaukee Brewers have one last chance to make a push in the NL Central race as they open up a series on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. At home, the Cardinals are favored with a moneyline of -190, while Milwaukee’s moneyline is set at +160. The over/under for the game is eight runs.
The Brewers head into this two-game series in St. Louis, winning four of their last five games. However, they remain eight games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, so it’s critical that they win both of these games to stay in the hunt.
The good news is Milwaukee remains just two games behind San Diego for the final Wild Card spot, so the Brewers have another path to the postseason.
As for the Cardinals, their magic number for clinching the NL Central is 14. They can all but close out the division title by getting a win or two against the Brewers over the next couple of days.
The Cards are also 11-4 in their last 15 games, so they’ve been playing some of their best baseball during the stretch run.
Secret Sauce
Lefty Jordan Montgomery will start for St. Louis on Tuesday, making his eighth start for the Cardinals since being traded away by the Yankees.
Montgomery has been a huge part of the team’s success over the past month, going 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his seven starts with the Cardinals. In six of those seven starts, Montgomery has allowed one run or less, including six scoreless innings against the Brewers last month.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis offense is holding steady, scoring at least four runs in five of the team’s last six games. Albert Pujols has provided an unexpected start lately, showcasing plenty of power while chasing 700 career home runs.
Tommy Edman and Corey Dickerson are also red-hot at the moment, lengthening a lineup that’s still led by Nolan Arenado and MVP frontrunner Paul Goldschmidt.
In the Bush
The Brewers will send Matt Bush to the mound on Tuesday. Since joining the Brewers earlier this year, Bush has made 17 appearances, all coming out of the bullpen. However, he’s posted a 3.86 ERA during that time and did make five starts for the Rangers earlier this season.
Of course, it’ll be the Milwaukee lineup that needs to get going if the Brewers are going to make a playoff push. The Brew Crew has averaged 4.6 runs per game over the team’s last eight games, so things are moving in the right direction.
But while Christian Yelich and Willy Adames are red-hot at the moment, key players like Hunter Renfroe, Keston Huira, and Andrew McCutcheon have all fallen into a slump over the past week.
Fear the Birds
With Montgomery’s recent success with the Cardinals, he gives St. Louis a huge leg up in this game. Even though the Brewers are trending in the right direction, Bush remains a mystery, and their lineup has plenty of holes in it.
Bet on St. Louis to win the series opener on Tuesday.
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