ODDS ANALYSIS
National League Central Division rivals St. Louis and Milwaukee meet for the third time this season with a three-game set at Busch Stadium starting Monday.
The Brewers begin a nine-game road trip visiting the division-leading Cardinals for the second time. In what has turned into a miserable season the Brewers have actually been decent on the road but starting a trip against the division leaders isn’t promising. Milwaukee is 8-14 in away games down 3.91 units on the moneyline and overall the Brewers have been the least profitable team in the NL. The Brewers are 2-4 against the Cards this season down 1.29 units. The Brewers also cashed the over five times in Matt Garza’s last six starts.
The Cards posted the best home start in franchise history and took two of three at Busch from the Brewers in mid-April scoring four runs in each game. They won twice at Milwaukee a week later to go up 1.06 units in the series and are the most profitable team in the NL. The over/under was split in the six games
PITCHING MATCHUP
Matt Garza (2-7, 6.00 ERA) allowed two home runs among the eight hits and was touched for five runs in five innings in a loss o the Giants on Monday. He gave up 19 earned runs over 14.2 innings in his last three starts and went winless (0-4) in May.
Garza picked up a win against the Cards in his second start of the year giving up one earned run over 5.2 innings in a 5-4 road win on Apr. 13. He took the loss going six innings allowing all three runs in a 3-0 defeat on Apr. 24 and is 4-4 with a 4.07 ERA in 12 lifetime starts versus St. Louis.
Jaime Garcia (1-1, 3.46 ERA) earned his first win of the season in his second start giving up four runs – three earned – in six innings against Arizona on Tuesday. He tossed seven innings against the Mets on May 21 in his first start since coming off the DL.
Garcia faces a familiar foe in his third start of the year. He’s started 12 of his 13 games against Milwaukee with a 6-3 record and 3.26 ERA over 77.1 innings.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It probably wasn’t my best. It’s been a long time but I try not to think about it that way. Whatever happened today, you put it in the past and you move forward and get ready for the next one.” – Cards pitcher Jaime Garcia after winning for the first time in a year
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Brewers starter Matt Garza has been around and seen a lot during his time in the big leagues. He’s been a reliable starter over his 15 years posting an ERA over 4.00 once since becoming a regular. But he’s going through a stretch right now that’s new to him and he’s in a fragile state. Garza allowed a career-high 10 runs to the Mets on May 17 starting a three-start stretch where he surrendered 19 earned runs over 14.2 innings raising his ERA from 4.04 to 6.00. “It’s an adversity period in my life, in my career,” he said after giving up five earned runs in five innings in his last outing. Look for the Cards to get off to a quick start against him.
PROP TALK
Putting on a Cardinals uniform instantly makes guys better players. Just ask Jhonny Peralta, who’s had a fine big league career, but is thriving in St. Louis. A career .260 hitter, Peralta has been around .300 all season and is a major piece of the most efficient offense in the NL. Peralta also enjoys facing the Brewers and particularly Matt Garza. Peralta has a .459 lifetime average against the Brewers righty with two home runs and 17 hits in 37 at-bats and owns a 1.149 OPS. Peralta doesn’t miss against Garza and he won’t in this one, rapping out a few hits in the Cardinals win.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Cardinals have proven once again to be the best in the National League. The club just keeps plugging along after losing ace Adam Wainwright to an Achilles in April and first baseman Matt Adams to a quadriceps injury last week. Injuries like that on any other team would be crippling but the Cards just plug the next guy into the lineup. It also helps having the best pitching staff in baseball and getting Jaime Garcia back in the rotation makes it that much stronger.
Matt Garza has experienced the worst stretch of his big league career and the Brewers are suffering along with him. There isn’t much help in sight and the Brewers will have to go through a difficult time before things start to look better.
St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 2
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for Monday, June 1, 2015, at 8:10 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
