The Milwaukee Brewers are in Busch Stadium for Game 2 of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Despite taking Game 1 of the series 2-1, the Brewers are a -125 moneyline underdog by the MLB odds, and will need their bats to be popping in what’s expected to be a high-scoring NL Central showdown.
Find out where my best bets lie in our MLB picks and Brewers vs. Cardinals predictions on Saturday, April 20.
Brewers vs Cardinals prediction
My best bet
William Contreras Over 1.5 total bases (+105 at bet365)
Best odds available in your region
My analysis
With the struggling DL Hall taking the mound for the Brewers in Game 2 against the Cardinals, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy is going to need a big day from his hottest bat this season.
That would be catcher William Contreras, who leads the team in hits (26), doubles (5), batting average (.361), and OBP (.440). The 26-year-old is poised to build on his success against St. Louis, with Miles Mikolas getting the start for the Cardinals.
While Mikolas is a former All-Star, his struggles from last season have continued into this year, and the 35-year-old is beginning to look like he’s in the twilight of his career. In four starts, he has a 5.82 ERA and 1.431 WHIP while allowing 24 hits in 21 2-3 innings of work.
Now he has to face a Brewers lineup that’s third in the MLB in average (.270) and SLG (.434) with Contreras playing at an All-Star level. The one-time All-Star is in position to light up Mikolas with the Cardinals pitchers relying heavily on stuff that Contreras would love to see.
Mikolas’ top pitch this season is his slider (31.6%), a pitch that Contreras was a monster against last season with a .314 average, .610 SLG, and nine-run value. If Mikolas wants to stay away from it, he has two other pitches he uses more than 11% of the time — his four-seamer (23.3%) and his sinker (19.3%).
Neither of those pitches should scare Contreras off, with the Brewers star absolutely smoking four-seamers so far this season. He has a .500 average and .778 SLG against them thus far while hitting .421 off of all fastballs this season.
He hasn’t been quite as dominant against sinkers, but he has .500 SLG against them this season after batting .292 against them last year. But two seasons ago, he was a dynamo when facing sliders with a .364 average and .682 SLG.
Even if Mikolas gets yanked early, Contreras has proven he’s one of the best batters in baseball this season with the second-highest average and the eighth-most hits in the MLB.
Brewers vs Cardinals same-game parlay (SGP)
William Contreras Over 1.5 total bases
Nolan Arenado Over 0.5 hits
Masyn Winn Over 0.5 hits
The Brewers aren’t the only team set to have a nice day offensively at the ballpark, with St. Louis ready to tee off on Hall. The Brewers pitcher has a 7.11 ERA across three starts and has allowed 22 hits in 12 2/3 innings. Both Nolan Arenado and Masyn Winn should be able to capitalize with Hall’s top pitches being his four-seamer (47.5%), changeup (21%), and curveball (20.6%).
Arenado hit .283 with a .669 SLG off four-seamers last season and .311 off curves, plus he’s batting .333 against changeups this year. And the 22-year-old Winn has crushed four-seamers to the tune of a .333 average and .524 SLG.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Brewers vs Cardinals odds
Brewers vs Cardinals live odds
Brewers vs Cardinals opening odds
- Run line: Milwaukee +1.5 (-185) | St. Louis +1.5 (+155)
- Moneyline: Milwaukee +110 | St. Louis -130
- Over/Under: Over 8 (-115) | Under 8 (-105)
Brewers vs Cardinals spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Cardinals opened as a -125 to -130 moneyline favorite with minimal movement across sportsbooks.
- Milwaukee leads the NL Central with a 12-6 record, while St. Louis sits at the bottom of the division with a 9-11 record.
- The Over/Under opened as low as 7.5, but has since come up to 8.5 at most books.
- The Cardinals are among the best Over teams in the MLB this season at 12-8 and the Brewers aren’t far behind at 10-8.
Brewers vs Cardinals trend
The Milwaukee Brewers have hit the Moneyline in 58 of their last 96 games (+11.05 Units / 9% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Cardinals
Brewers vs Cardinals game info
| Location: | Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO |
| Date: | Saturday, 4-20-2024 |
| First pitch: | 2:15 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Wisconsin, Bally Midwest |
| Brewers starting pitcher: | DL Hall (0-1, 7.11 ERA) |
| Cardinals starting pitcher: | Miles Mikolas (1-2, 5.82 ERA) |
Brewers vs Cardinals latest injuries
Brewers vs Cardinals weather
Not intended for use in MA.
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