The top two teams in the NL Central are set to square off on Thursday as the Milwaukee Brewers begin a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. At home, the Cardinals are only slight favorites with a moneyline of -115 compared to Milwaukee’s moneyline of -105. The game also has an over/under of 7.5 runs.
The Brew Crew heads to St. Louis after winning back-to-back games against the previously red-hot Padres. With those wins, the Brewers have now won four straight series and seven of their last 10 games. They are now tied for the second-best record in the National League and have a 3.5-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central.
Of course, the Cardinals had won four in a row until losing to the Blue Jays on Tuesday. On the other hand, St. Louis had lost eight of its last 12 games before that four-game winning streak. Nevertheless, the Cards are five games over .500 and within striking distance of the Brewers.
The Wright Stuff
It’ll be 40-year-old Adam Wainwright getting the start for the Cardinals in the series opener on Thursday. The veteran has gone 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA over his first eight starts of 2022. Wainwright is just as reliable as he’s ever been and has pitched at least six complete innings in four consecutive starts.
On Thursday, Wainwright will be facing a Milwaukee lineup that’s only averaging 3.7 runs per game over its last 10 games. In the fact, the Brewers have scored exactly two runs in three of their last four games, cooling off in a big way with power threats Willy Adames and Hunter Renfroe on the IL.
The only upside is that Andrew McCutcheon, Tyrone Taylor, and Rowdy Tellez have heated up, although other Brewers have gone cold, including Kolten Wong.
Call to the Lefty
Despite a lack of offense, the Brewers have been able to win games lately behind their pitching. That includes lefty Eric Lauer, who will make his eighth start of the season on Thursday after going 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA over his first seven starts. Lauer is fresh off seven scoreless innings against the Nationals and has allowed two runs or less in five of his seven starts.
But the Cardinals should be a challenge for Lauer, as St. Louis has scored at least four runs in seven of the team’s last eight games, averaging 6.3 runs per game during that stretch.
As expected, it’s been Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado leading the way for the Cards this year. Goldschmidt has been red-hot lately with Tommy Edman, Harrison Bader, and Brendan Donovan getting hot along with him.
Brewers/Cardinals Betting Prediction
Even if Lauer gives the Brewers a slight advantage in the pitching department, the Cardinals have the more dangerous lineup right now. Wainwright is also a safe bet to have a decent outing, giving the St. Louis lineup some time to figure out Lauer and score some runs. With the betting odds negligible, bet on the Cardinals to take Thursday’s series opener at home.
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