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The Cleveland Guardians (72-49) and Milwaukee Brewers (69-52) begin a 3-game interleague series Friday. First pitch from American Family Field is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Guardians vs. Brewers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Brewers won 2-1 in 2023
The Guardians swept the Chicago Cubs earlier this week, outscoring the NL Central foe by a 17-10 margin. Cleveland cashed as the favorite in the final 2 games of the series, and it has now won 5 in a row after a 7-game skid. The Under is 3-1-1 in the 5-game win streak and 5-2-1 across the past 8 outings.
In this series opener, the Guardians get a crack against RHP Aaron Civale, who made his MLB debut with Cleveland in 2019 and spent 4-plus seasons with the Guardians before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023.
The Brewers topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 in the afternoon series finale Thursday at American Family Field. Milwaukee ended up gaining a split in the 4-game set with the 1st-place Dodgers. However, at home, the Brewers are still just 6-7 across the past 13 contests.
In interleague play, Cleveland is 18-14 this season while going 34-29 on the road. It also has a plus-83 run differential, 3rd-best in the American League.
For Milwaukee, it is 35-24 at home, and its plus-101 run differential is 2nd-best in the NL. The Brewers have really shined in interleague play, going 26-14 in 40 tries so far this season.
Guardians at Brewers projected starters
RHP Gavin Williams vs. RHP Aaron Civale
Williams (2-4, 4.38 ERA) makes his 9th start. He has a 1.36 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9 and 9.7 K/9 in 39 IP.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K in 2-1 road victory vs. Minnesota Twins Saturday
- 2024 road splits: 2-0, 0.84 ERA (21 1/3 IP, 2 ER), 0.84 WHIP, .167 opponents’ batting average (OBA), 5 BB, 18 K in 4 starts
- Has never faced Brewers
Civale (3-8, 5.02 ERA) makes his 24th start. He has a 1.39 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9 and 8.6 K/9 in 118 1/3 IP with Rays and Brewers.
- Last start: Win, 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H (1 HR), 2 BB, 5 K in 8-3 home victory vs. Cincinnati Reds Aug. 9
- 2024 home splits: 2-5, 3.78 ERA (66 2/3 IP, 28 ER), 1.22 WHIP, .251 OBA, 12 HR, 17 BB, 66 K in 12 starts
- Career vs. Guardians: No-decision, 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 K in 1 start, a 9-8 home win (w/Rays) Aug. 11, 2023
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Guardians at Brewers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Guardians -112 (bet $112 to win $100) | Brewers -104 (bet $104 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Guardians -1.5 (+146) | Brewers +1.5 (-178)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Guardians at Brewers picks and predictions
Prediction
Brewers 4, Guardians 3
Moneyline
The BREWERS (-104) are a solid play behind Civale, the former Guardians (-112) starter who should have a little bit of a chip on his shoulder facing his former teammates.
Civale has struggled this season, and he is 5 games under .500, while Williams has amazing splits on the road, versus terrible numbers at home. However, Civale pitched well last time out, settling into his new digs, and he has the revenge factor going for him.
Run line/Against the spread
If you’re a little more on the conservative side and just can’t bring yourself to back the BREWERS +1.5 (-178) straight up, they’re not terribly priced out of line if you’d like a little insurance instead.
While the Guardians enter with 5 consecutive victories, 3 of those wins are by a single run.
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Over/Under
UNDER 8 (-105) is the lean in this interleague series opener at American Family Field.
The Under is 6-1 in the past 7 starts for Williams, including 4-0 in his 4 road outings. For Cleveland, the Under is 5-2-1 in the past 8 contests, too.
For the Brewers, the Under has a slight 3-2-1 edge in the past 6 outings, but be careful. The Over has cashed in each of Civale’s past 4 outings while going 5-1 in his 6 appearances since coming to Cream City.
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