The NL Central race figures to be one of the more interesting division chases in baseball this year. Right now, the Milwaukee Brewers have a nice little lead, but the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs aren’t going anywhere. The Brewers host the Cardinals in a Wednesday matinee and it’s essentially a pick’em on MLB betting odds.
In Monday’s win over St. Louis, the Brewers tried something fairly drastic in order to get former NL MVP Ryan Braun going: He hit No. 5 in the lineup, the first time that Braun had batted that low since 2014. Seemed to work as Braun reached base four times and stole a bag. He singled twice, doubled and scored three runs. It was Braun’s first multi-hit game this month. Braun is 1 stolen base away from reaching 200 for his career. He ranks third in franchise history in stolen bases, trailing Paul Molitor (412) and Robin Yount (271).
The team remains without slugging first baseman Eric Thames. He was to have follow-up visit scheduled with his doctor on Tuesday. Thames, now one month removed from surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb, hopes to be cleared to resume hitting at that time. The original timetable was 6-8 weeks, which places his return somewhere around mid-to-late June. Jesus Aguilar has been raking in his spot.
The Brewers have not committed an error in 8 straight games. The team had 21 errors through its first 19 games of the season, most in the majors. Since then, the team has just 11 errors over its last 36 games, which is the fewest in the National League and tied for the third fewest in the majors.
How to Bet Cardinals at Brewers MLB Betting Odds & Game Info – May 30th
When: Wednesday, 1:10 PM ET Where: Miller Park, Milwaukee Probable pitchers (away/home): Alex Reyes/Junior Guerra TV: None Stream: MLB.tv Radio: 1120 AM (St. Louis) / 940 AM (Milwaukee) Opening MLB Betting Lines: Brewers -106, Cards -104 (9)RECAP: Carpenter and Wacha help lead the Cardinals to a big win over the Brewers!
🔗: https://t.co/iCHZo8YzLl pic.twitter.com/ttckNimksX — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 30, 2018
Why Bet on St. Louis?
The Cards are without two key injured players in ace pitcher Carlos Martinez and shortstop Paul DeJong. Martinez (lat) will make a rehab start this week and could be on track to rejoin the Cardinals’ rotation next week. He’s been sidelined for the previous three weeks with a strained right lat. DeJong is going to miss a while with a fractured left metacarpal. He underwent successful surgery to repair the fracture Friday afternoon, a night after he was struck in the left hand by a Luis Garcia (Phillies) slider. Boosted by a move to the No.3 slot in the order recently after spending parts of his standout rookie season there, DeJong was hitting .260/.351/.473 with eight home runs and 19 RBI over 41 games to start his sophomore season. He had been the only Cardinals player to start every game this season.Who Will Start Off for the Cardinals?
Here, the Cardinals turn to their No. 1 overall prospect and a Top 30 guy in all of MLB in Alex Reyes. The 23-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since Sept. 29, 2016, before undergoing Tommy John surgery following that season. Reyes made his MLB debut in 2016 and appeared in 12 games (five starts), posting a 1.57 ERA (eight earned runs in 46 innings). He struck out 52 of the 189 batters he faced (28 percent). In four rehab starts with Class A Peoria, Class A Advanced Palm Beach, Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis this year, he tossed 23 scoreless innings while fanning 44 of the 82 batters he faced. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated the team will not set an innings limit on Reyes this year, though they will be smart about it. Reyes will be subject to standard pitch count and high-stress inning assessments, not different parameters tailored specially for him. He broke the 90-pitch barrier in each of his final two rehab starts. His career high in pitches thrown is 115, two years ago in Chicago.Why Bet on Milwaukee?
In Monday’s win over St. Louis, the Brewers tried something fairly drastic in order to get former NL MVP Ryan Braun going: He hit No. 5 in the lineup, the first time that Braun had batted that low since 2014. Seemed to work as Braun reached base four times and stole a bag. He singled twice, doubled and scored three runs. It was Braun’s first multi-hit game this month. Braun is 1 stolen base away from reaching 200 for his career. He ranks third in franchise history in stolen bases, trailing Paul Molitor (412) and Robin Yount (271).
The team remains without slugging first baseman Eric Thames. He was to have follow-up visit scheduled with his doctor on Tuesday. Thames, now one month removed from surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb, hopes to be cleared to resume hitting at that time. The original timetable was 6-8 weeks, which places his return somewhere around mid-to-late June. Jesus Aguilar has been raking in his spot.
The Brewers have not committed an error in 8 straight games. The team had 21 errors through its first 19 games of the season, most in the majors. Since then, the team has just 11 errors over its last 36 games, which is the fewest in the National League and tied for the third fewest in the majors.
Who Takes the Mound for the Brewers?
It’s Junior Guerra on the bump. Guerra (3-3, 2.98) took a no-decision on Friday after giving up two runs on five hits (two homers) with three strikeouts in six innings against the Mets. Guerra made two mistakes in this one, allowing solo homers to Amed Rosario and Michael Conforto. He was extremely efficient with his pitch count, needing only 72 pitches to get through six frames. Guerra has pitched well lately, giving up five runs over his past three starts (2.76 ERA).Latest MLB Betting Trends
- St. Louis is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
- St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis’s last 9 games
- Milwaukee is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games
- Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
