The Milwaukee Brewers (11-12) and Pittsburgh Pirates (4-17) open a three-game weekend series at PNC Park Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET. We analyze the Brewers-Pirates MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Thursday: The Brewers lost 7-1 at the Minnesota Twins, dropping two of three. The Pirates were shut out 2-0 by the Cleveland Indians, getting swept in three at home and dropping a fourth in a row.
Brewers at Pirates: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Adrian Houser vs. RHP Chad Kuhl
Houser: 1-1, 3.27 ERA (22 IP, 8 ER) in 4 starts
- Last start: No decision, 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K at Chicago Cubs Saturday – Brewers won 6-5 in 10 innings
- 2020 vs. Pirates: 0-0, 5 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 4 K in 1 road start (July 27) – Brewers won 6-5 in 11 innings
- Career vs. Pirates: 1-1, 6.43 ERA (14 IP, 10 ER) in 5 games (2 starts)
Kuhl: 0-1, 3.21 ERA (14 IP, 5 ER), 18 K in 4 games (2 starts)
- Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K at Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 14 – Pirates lost 8-1
- 2020 vs. Brewers: 0-0, 3 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 1 relief outing (July 27)
- Career vs. Brewers: 3-0, 1.72 ERA (36 2/3 IP, 7 ER) in 6 starts and 1 relief outing
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Brewers at Pirates: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Brewers
- RP Justin Grimm (finger) out
- RP Corey Knebel (hamstring) out
- OF Lorenzo Cain opted out
Pirates
- RP Nick Burdi (elbow) out
- RP Kyle Crick (shoulder) out
- 3B Phillip Evans (concussion/broken jaw) out
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Brewers at Pirates: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Brewers 7, Pirates 4
Moneyline (ML)
The BREWERS (-140) are the STRONGEST PLAY. Don’t worry about Kuhl being 3-0 with that 1.72 ERA vs. Milwaukee in his career. He last beat the Brewers in 2018.
The Pirates (+125) are 2-12 in their last 14 games and own the worst record in the majors at 4-17.
The Brewers took two of three at the Pirates in July and were 15-4 vs. the Bucs in 2019. They also are 3-1 in Houser’s 2020 starts.
New to sports betting? Every winning $1.40 bet on the Brewers ML will profit $1. A $1 winning bet on the Pirates profits $1.25. (Strongest-play wagers should be 1½ times your usual bet).
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
PASS. Both teams sport below-.500 RL records. The Brewers (-1.5, +110) are 9-14 vs. the RL overall and 7-8 on the road. The Pirates (+1.5, -134) are 10-11 vs. the RL overall and 4-7 at home.
Over/Under (O/U)
Bet OVER 9 (-110). Two of the three games these two played in July went Over the projected total. Plus, Milwaukee is 10-1 O/U in its last 11 road games when the line is 9 to 10.5, and Pittsburgh is 19-9 O/U in its last 28 vs. NL Central rivals.
Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.
| Johnny’s 2020 MLB record | 32-16-1 |
| 2020 overall record | 72-42-2 |
| Strongest plays | 37-16 |
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