This is a huge series for the St. Louis Cardinals (28-26, 2nd in NL Central) and Milwaukee Brewers (27-29, 4th in NL Central). In the first game of this doubleheader, they will be making up a game postponed during the Cardinals’ COVID-19 delay. The Brewers will serve as the home team in this contest, which is set for 5:15 p.m. ET, though both ends of the doubleheader will take place at Busch Stadium. We analyze the Cardinals-Brewers betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets.
Cardinals at Brewers: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Jack Flaherty vs. LHP Brent Suter
Flaherty had his worst start of the year (3 IP, 9 ER) against this same Milwaukee team two starts ago, but rebounded with an 11-strikeout performance last time out (at Pittsburgh Pirates). For the season, he owns a 4.84 ERA through eight starts.
- His 29.7% K% and 8.1% BB% are nearly identical to his 2019 marks, when he recorded a 2.75 ERA. An unlucky 20.8% home run per fly ball rate has played a large role in his struggles this season.
- He has made four starts at home in 2019, and in those starts has compiled a 2.05 ERA with a 20:4 K:BB over 22 innings.
Suter has pitched mostly out of the bullpen in 2020, making just three starts in his 15 appearances. In total, he has put up a 3.58 ERA across 27 2/3 innings, with 34 strikeouts and just four walks.
- Suter can’t be expected to work especially deep into this game, as he has topped out at three innings in his previous appearances with a high of 52 pitches.
- He was a decent back of the rotation starter, having posted a 4.17 ERA and 7.3 K/9 in 37 career starts. Suter has been much more effective in relief, with a 2.14 ERA in 43 appearances spanning 67 1/3 innings.
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Cardinals at Brewers: Key injuries
Get the latest injury news here.
Cardinals
- RP Jordan Hicks (elbow) out
- RP John Brebbia (elbow) out
Brewers
- OF Ben Gamel (quadriceps) out
- C Manny Pina (knee) out
- RP Freddy Peralta (personal) out
- OF Lorenzo Cain (personal) out
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Cardinals 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 11 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Cardinals 4, Brewers 2
Money line (ML)
- Cardinals (-129)
- Brewers (+115)
Flaherty had a hiccup against the Brewers Sept. 15th, but his skills to date have been excellent, and he was dominant in his most recent outing. Look for him to fare better against the Milwaukee lineup this time around.
The Cardinals aren’t likely to have a huge game against Suter and a Milwaukee relief corps that leads the league in both SIERA and K%, but they should be able to push across enough runs to come out on top. Take the CARDINALS (-129).
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Brewers (+115) to win would return a profit of $11.50, while the same bet on the Cardinals (-129) nets a profit of just $7.75.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
- Cardinals -1.5 (+145)
- Brewers +1.5 (-175)
The Cardinals have the edge on the mound, and as the “road team”, their chances of winning by multiple runs is slightly better than it would be as the home team.
This is likely to be a pretty close game, but the odds are good enough to lay the run and take the CARDINALS -1.5 (+145) to win by 2 or more runs.
Over/Under (O/U)
- Over 5.5 (-121)
- Under 5.5 (+100)
This is a low total, even for a seven-inning game, and for good reason. Flaherty is a good bet to keep the Milwaukee bats pretty quiet, while Suter should also be pretty effective while he’s in there.
Furthermore, with the season on the line for both teams, managers Craig Counsell and Mike Shildt won’t hesitate to play the matchups in the late innings with their relievers. It may be best to just AVOID the total.
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