The Milwaukee Brewers (7-10) and Chicago Cubs (13-3) battle Friday in the second contest of a four-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field. We analyze the Brewers-Cubs MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Yu Darvish teased a no-hitter for the Cubs during an eventual 4-2 win Thursday.
Brewers at Cubs: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Brandon Woodruff at RHP Tyler Chatwood
Woodruff has rolled through his first 21 1/3 innings of the year with a 2.53 ERA, finally having an ERA befitting his continued excellence in K/9 (10.97) and BB/9 (2.11) — mainly via a 54.9% groundball rate.
- He’s gotten a bit lucky, though, given he’s stranded 89.9% of his baserunners. Despite his elite skills, that may tick his ERA up as more of those cross the plate. He has also had a bit worse pace in HR/9 (1.27, compared to 0.89 last year).
- He has logged a 3.86 ERA in seven innings across three career appearances (one start) at Wrigley Field, striking out nine and walking two batters.
Chatwood’s dominance has skyrocketed (13.80 K/9) while his control has been sparkling (2.40 BB/9), but his groundball rate has sunk (39.5%) and his ERA has soared (5.40 ERA).
- His first 15 innings have certainly been weird. Case in point: His 5.40 ERA hides a 2.53 FIP, which means he should be getting more good results from his skills in the future.
- Chatwood has mowed down the Brew Crew with a 2.75 ERA in 13 appearances (seven starts), including a 1.26 ERA across six games (one start) and 14 1/3 frames.
- The righty holds a 4.11 ERA in 37 career outings (20 starts) at Wrigley Field.
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Brewers at Cubs: Key injuries
Get the latest injury news here.
Brewers
- OF Lorenzo Cain (personal) opted out of 2020 season
Cubs
- 3B Kris Bryant (wrist) questionable
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Brewers at Cubs: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Brewers 5, Cubs 3
I’ll side with Woodruff, who’s notably more stable than the up-and-down Chatwood.
Moneyline (ML)
- Brewers (-112)
- Cubs (+100)
As hot as they are lately, the Cubs don’t get an overly profitable outlook here. I’m not compelled to BET the Brewers (-112) moneyline, but I’d prefer it if I had to pick. BET if you don’t mind falling short of a double-up.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
- Brewers -1.5 (+135)
- Cubs +1.5 (-167)
Luckily, gamblers can pivot from the moneyline and BET the Brewers’ -1.5 (+135) run line.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 wager on the Brewers’ run line would return a profit of $13.50.
Over/Under (O/U)
- Over 8 (-115)
- Under 8 (-106)
The books kinda nailed this one. Maybe you can double-up by instead BETTING UNDER 8.5 (-120) on the alternate total line, but it’s my least favorite recommendation of these three.
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