Updated Cardinals vs. Brewers Odds
| Cardinals Odds | +120 |
| Brewers Odds | -145 |
| Over/Under | 8 |
| Time | 5:14 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
The St. Louis Cardinals are set to kick off a four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers in a matchup of who's hot and who's not early on this season.
St. Louis will have Adam Wainwright on the mound for them as he continues to prove age is just a number. But, of course, it also helps that the Cardinals have gotten off to a solid start at the dish as they'll look to build on their early division lead.
As for Milwaukee, not much has gone right as the first turn through the rotation was borderline disastrous, and to top it off, their offense has yet to pick up the slack. Entering the season, the Brewers were the overwhelming favorite to win the division and compete for a pennant. Will their struggles continue against their divisional rivals, or does the bounce-back start here?
Cards Can Pile Onto Woodruff's Early Struggles
Saying that Brandon Woodruff's first start of the season was rough may be putting it lightly. He didn't have it from the get-go as his command failed him as he walked three and hit two batters. The results were compounded when he found the zone as the Cubs tagged him for seven earned runs on six hits.
While this may seem like an early-season blip for Woodruff, it is actually the continuation of a year after year trend. In his career, he has struggled mightily in April. In April, he holds a 4.17 ERA and a 3.65 strikeout to walk ratio. Woodruff's early season track record shows that it takes him about a month to dial in, and it's plausible that he continues to struggle as he draws a bad matchup in his second start of the year.
The return of Albert Pujols to St. Louis has garnered much attention; however, it is their acquisition from last offseason that has gotten off to the hottest start. Nolan Arenado is hitting .438 with three homers and nine RBIs through four games. He leads the second-best offense in baseball, statistically, as the Cardinals are slashing .271/.347/.527 with a 152 wRC+.
Overall, the current Cardinals lineup has not hit Woodruff all that well, although their expected stats are considerably higher. So, we should see some of that positive regression that the data suggests is on its way.
Wainwright Can Keep Brewers Bats Quiet
The crafty veteran proved he's still got it as he dazzled the Pirates in his first start. Entering his age-41 season, you would expect some decline in Wainwright's ability. However, there's been no indication of that as he twirled six innings of shutout ball.
Now he's set to face a Brewers lineup that should be looking to close the roof and crank up the heat as they have been cold through their first few games. The Brew Crew is slashing .261/.304/.338, and its wRC+ of 88 is only 19th in the league.
Like his counterpart, Wainwright has quite a large sample size against the current Brewers lineup and has performed modestly against them. However, unlike Woodruff, Waino has been expected to have better results as he's produced a lot of weak contact against these Milwaukee hitters. Furthermore, over 227 at-bats, they have an average Exit Velocity of only 86.6.
This Brewers lineup is tendered towards attacking left-handers as a majority of their lineup has sizable splits. This will work to Wainwright's advantage as he is not your typical righty at this point in his career. Everything moves well, and soft contact is very common.
Cardinals-Brewers Pick
Yes, this is the Brewers' home opener, but the Milwaukee faithful is in for a frustrating evening. The Cardinals could silence the crowd early if Woodruff's command has not yet returned.
On the other hand, they'll get the chance to enjoy the ageless wonder that is Wainwright. The Brewers are a team built upon their pitching staff, and we have already seen that when the men on the mound falter, while the offense has a hard time picking its pitchers up.
Pick: Cardinals ML +130
