The Milwaukee Brewers (20-22) topped the Chicago Cubs (26-20) 1-0 in Friday’s series opener. The two NL Central rivals will continue a three-game series at Miller Park with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch Saturday. Below, we analyze the Cubs-Brewers MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Cubs at Brewers: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. LHP Brett Anderson
Hendricks: 5-4, 9 starts, 3.41 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 0.9 BB/9, 58 IP
- Had his best game of the year against these Brewers in his first start of 2020, as he pitched a complete-game shutout at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He struck out 9 with no walks and just 3 hits allowed.
- Pitched 8 innings of one-run ball but gave up 7 hits against the St. Louis Cardinals his last time out.
Anderson: 2-3, 7 starts, 4.64 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 5.7 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 33 IP
- Faced the Cubs just once this season and took the loss despite holding them to 2 earned runs over 4 1/3 innings. His 87 pitches in that outing was a season-high he has matched just once.
- Owns a 5.09 ERA at home vs. a 4.11 rate on the road. Has allowed 4 home runs over 4 starts and 17 2/3 IP at Miller Park.
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Cubs at Brewers: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Cubs
- 2B Jason Kipnis (undisclosed) questionable
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Cubs at Brewers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Brewers 3, Cubs 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BREWERS (+110) flip to slight underdogs following their 1-0 win Friday. The winning run came via DH Ryan Braun‘s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Cubs (-121) are favored with Hendricks on the hill. He dominated the Brewers the first time around this season, but Anderson held his own in his first matchup with Chicago.
Both teams are in the worse half of their pitching split, but Milwaukee fares slightly better against righties than Chicago does against lefties. Take the value with the BREWERS (+110) in what should be a low-scoring game much like Friday.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Brewers to win would return a profit of $11.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
The safer play is to back the BREWERS +1.5 (-150) with one run of insurance in the event of a loss. Milwaukee is a league-worst 15-27 against the run line this season but improves to a much more respectable 9-8 as the underdog.
Over/Under (O/U)
I like the UNDER 8.5 (-110). Both starters are in the lesser half of their location split, but the two lineups are at a greater disadvantage. The two starting pitchers have already turned in a strong outing this season against their Saturday opposition and can follow up with another.
The Under is also 5-3 in this head-to-head series of division rivals this season.
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