A pivotal NL Central clash kicks things off on Saturday when the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs partake in the second of a scheduled three-game set from historic Wrigley Field. It will be the first of three nationally televised matchups on FOX, so it’s pretty safe to assume online sportsbooks will be booking plenty of action on the game. Toeing the bump for the visiting Brew Crew will be fireballer Corbin Burnes who will be out to make amends for his poor showing of a season ago. Opposing him will be Yu Darvish who was nothing short of dominant throughout the second half of 2019. These teams don’t like one another, so the intensity should be at a fever pitch regardless of nobody sitting in the bleachers getting lit while rooting for their respective teams.
First pitch for the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2020, at 1:05 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field. The matchup will be shown live on FOX. You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
MLB Betting Odds
Odds Analysis
Expect oddsmakers to install Darvish and the Cubs decided home chalk for this matchup. These teams almost played even in 2019 with the Brewers winning the season rivalry 10-9. The Cubs did a decent job protecting their house coming out on top six of nine times with the under cashing in all but two of those matchups; an average of 5.7 runs were scored per game. As great the Brew Crew was at home last season, it was quite the opposite on the road where they played to a 40-42 record but only cost MLB bettors $250 overall. Chicago was even worse on the road in playing .407 ball, but did a great job in front of the hometown faithful in compiling a 51-30 record that equated to nearly $700 worth of profit for MLB bettors; the under cashed at a 41-35-5 clip in those contests with an average of 9.1 runs hitting the board.
Probable Pitchers
With Brett Anderson succumbing to the IL because of a blister, Corbin Burnes is once again in Milwaukee’s starting rotation. As good he pitched throughout spring training, it’s likely that would’ve been the case regardless. The righty was nothing short of awful last season in playing to a -2.2 WAR while going 1-5 with a bloated 8.82 ERA. But he struck batters out logging 70 through 49 innings. That remained the case in March and the few outings leading up to the abbreviated regular season. He’ll attempt to stymy the Cubs offense by way of a fastball that touches the upper 90s and a low 90s cutter/slider to keep them guessing. Chicago touched him up for 10 hits (5 HR) and 9 ER in his lone start against them last season.
So what version of Darvish will Cubs fans get over the next two months? Will it be the one that stunk the joint up by walking everyone in the first half, or the lights out staff ace that logged a 2.76 ERA and 118 strikeouts through 81.2 innings in the second half? If his last start against the Chicago White Sox is any type of indicator, these might be a long two months for those that drafted him to their fantasy baseball team. He walked the bases loaded and then served up a grand slam to Eloy Jimenez in the 1st inning of his final tune-up before the regular season. Yu wasn’t great at home in going 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, but he was stellar in two starts versus the Brew Crew in giving up eight hits through 10 innings while racking up a 15:1 K/BB ratio.
Player Prop Targets
You’re going to want to get involved with Christian Yelich in this matchup be it with player props or daily fantasy. Of all the Brewers’ bats, his has found the most success when taking hacks against Darvish. In 11 career at-bats, the former NL MVP has attained four hits with a pair of them leaving the yard. He also owns a stolen base as well as three walks. As for Chicago’s sticks, you might want to fade both Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant with the duo going a combined 0-for-8 with 3 Ks against Burnes. Look the way of Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward instead with the former 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 walks and the latter a perfect 2-for-2 with a HR and a stolen base.
MLB Pick
There’s absolutely nothing about this year’s Cubs team that leads me to believe they remotely compete for the NL Central pennant let alone another World Series title. If you can believe it, the Ricketts family was crying poor this offseason due to all the money spent on improving the ball park the last few seasons. Their main goal since last year’s disappointing campaign ended was getting the Marquis Network up and running; not improving the roster. Nobody was brought in to help shore up the team’s deficiencies of the last few seasons. They still don’t have a true leadoff hitter for crying out loud! As for Milwaukee, I like the makeup of the roster both from hitting and pitching perspectives. The team lost in the playoffs to the NL rep of the World Series each of the last two seasons. They enter this season and series hungry for more, so I’ll be hitting them pretty hard on the moneyline and alternate run-line in this spot.
MLB Odds: Brewers 7, Cubs 3
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
