It's tough to really know what the Milwaukee Brewers are going to look like when they take the field on Friday. Clearly, they aren't going to be a stronger team than the one which has gone 44-57 and -11.95 units in their first 101 games of the campaign, but there is still a question regarding just how weak this unit will be.
The Chicago Cubs, who are 52-47 and -3.73 units, are certainly the more trustworthy of the two clubs, knowing that they should be buyers, if they are anything at all, at the trading deadline.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Young Taylor Jungmann has one little tell that live bettors should be aware of. This is a man who has only pitched in nine games in his big league career, but the common thread amongst them all is the first time through the order, he has been downright unhittable.
Jungmann allowed his first opening inning runs of his career in his last start against the Diamondbacks, and he now has just two runs conceded in nine first innings. Better than that is the fact that he has only conceded six runs the first time through the lineup against teams, allowing just 7.4 percent of all men faced the first time through the order to score.
This is the first time the Cubs are going to see Jungmann's stuff in his career, and you can bet that, at least in the early innings, the righty is going to dominate.
Jason Hammel had a rough go of it in his last start against the Phillies, but we'd be willing to bet he gets back on track against a bad Milwaukee lineup.
Hammel has a 3.20 ERA in spite of the fact that he just gave up six runs in 3.2 innings, and his awesome WHIP of 1.02 should continue as long as he keeps his walks down. Through 19 starts, the vet has conceded just 22 free passes in 112.1 innings.
ADVANCED STATS
The Brewers have had problems scoring runs all year long. They have an offensive rating as a team of -50.7 according to FanGraphs, and they have one of the worst walk percentage to strikeout percentage ratios in the league at 6.6 to 20.5.
As a team, the rest of Milwaukee's peripheral stats aren't that bad. They have a team ISO of .144, and they have a reasonable slugging percentage of .395.
But when you consider how much of an impact Ryan Braun and Adam Lind have had on those power numbers, it'll make you think twice about backing Milwaukee in live betting.
Braun and Lind are both dealing with back problems, and with Aramis Ramirez now traded and both Lind and Gerardo Parra on the block as well, there's a real chance that this lineup could be in miserable shape for this meeting with the Cubs on Friday.
TALKING BULLPENS
These bullpens could both be changing shape by Friday's deadline as well.
The Cubs really don't have an effective closer. Hector Rondon has done a substantial job closing out games along with Jason Motte, but you never really know who is coming out the doors of that bullpen with the way Joe Maddon's mind works.
What might be scarier is what will happen with the Milwaukee bullpen at the back ends of games. Live bettors know if they are playing on Jungmann, he probably isn't going to go more than a max of seven innings, which will leave the relievers to finish this job.
But if Francisco Rodriguez, who is 23-for-23 in save chances this year, gets traded before Friday, who will close games? The rest of this team has nary a single save in 2015.
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 Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers is scheduled for Friday, July 31, 2015 at 8:10 p.m. ET at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. The contest will be televised live on WGN.
