The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs meet Friday in MLB action from Wrigley Field. Here’s a Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers prediction. This will be the first installment in a three-game series. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game.
Milwaukee Brewers Betting Preview
The Brewers took on the Tampa Bay Rays in their early-week series. Milwaukee lost 1-0 in the Monday game but then came back to win 8-2 and 7-1 in the remaining games. The Brewers got two homers and four RBI from Willy Adames in the Wednesday finale, while William Contreras added two RBI and a run.
In their Friday opener versus the Cubs, the Brewers will send Joe Ross to the mound for the start. Ross is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in five starts. He’s got 23 Ks in 25.0 innings. Ross is 27-31 with a 4.32 ERA in 103 career games (81 starts).
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
Over on the Cubs’ side, they’re fresh off a series versus the New York Mets. Chicago won two of the first three games 3-1 and 1-0 (with a 4-2 loss). On Thursday in the finale, the Cubs blew leads of 4-0, 5-2 and 6-5 on the way to an 11-inning loss 7-6. Starting pitcher Ben Brown finished with 4.2 innings, two earned runs, three hits, five walks and five strikeouts.
It’ll be Hayden Wesneski in the starting pitcher role for the Cubs on Friday. This year over his three games (one start), Wesneski is 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA and six Ks in 10.1 frames. Wesneski is 8-7 with a 3.73 ERA in 43 career games (16 starts).
Brewers vs Cubs Injury Notes
Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez was removed from Tuesday’s game due to a hamstring issue. He’s day-to-day. SP Wade Miley (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day Injured List on Tuesday.
Cubs SP Justin Steele (hamstring) will meet with the team Friday to evaluate the next step in his return to the mound. SP Kyle Hendricks began a rehab assignment Thursday.
Chicago Cubs Team Facts
- The Cubs have lost each of their last eight day games against the Brewers at Wrigley Field following a loss.
- The Cubs have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games as home favorites against NL Central opponents following a road loss.
- The Cubs have trailed after 5 innings in three of their last four games as favorites against NL Central opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last four games between the Brewers and Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Milwaukee Brewers Team Facts
- The Brewers have won each of their last nine day games against National League opponents.
- The Brewers have covered the run line in each of their last six day games against NL Central opponents.
- The Brewers have lost the first inning in each of their last four games against opponents that held a winning record.
- The Brewers have led after 5 innings in seven of their last nine games as road underdogs against National League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Brewers’ last four games at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Prediction
I’ll lean toward the Cubs. Wesneski has been pitching well so far this year. He’s got just one earned run in 10.1 total innings on six hits and a walk. Wesneski hasn’t gone past 4.0 innings just yet though, so he’ll probably need some help from the pen. As for Ross, he’s lost three straight games and given up six earned in two of them (one earned in the other).
In their finale matchup on Thursday, the Cubs used six pitchers in a futile effort. Offensively the team wasn’t bad (nine hits); most of the batters got on base at least once. Chicago needs to shake off Thursday’s disheartening result but I think they’ve got a decent chance here.