Cardinals vs Brewers: Offenses Hope to Make Statement in Battle for Division Lead

• Mikolas looks to follow up performance, Burnes looks to prove a point
• Offenses hope to make statement in battle for division lead
• X-factors to watch

Cardinals at Brewers Odds

Cardinals vs Brewers Prediction and Picks

The Brewers are rounding into form again, having won four of their last five. The Cardinals meanwhile dropped just their second series in the past month, losing two of three to the Red Sox. Both Miles Mikolas and Corbin Burnes should have better records than they do based on how they’ve been able to limit traffic on the basepaths, and we think that shows up here in a low-scoring game. We like the Brewers money line and the under.

Garcia’s 2022 record: (21-14)

Cardinals vs Brewers Betting Trends to Watch (As of 6.19)

• Cardinals are 8-3 in their last 11 games on grass
• Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 games following a loss
• Cardinals are 35-17 in their last 52 vs. National League Central
• Cardinals are 1-5 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record
• Cardinals are 1-6 in their last 7 games as an underdog
• Cardinals are 1-6 in their last 7 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15
• Over is 5-0 in Cardinals last 5 overall
• Over is 4-1 in Cardinals last 5 games as a road underdog
• Over is 19-6-1 in Cardinals last 26 games vs. a right-handed starter
• Cardinals are 6-2 in the last 8 head-to-head meetings in Milwaukee
• Brewers are 4-1 in their last 5 overall
• Brewers are 4-0 in their last 4 games as a favorite
• Brewers are 20-7 in their last 27 vs. National League Central
• Brewers are 3-8 in their last 11 games vs. a right-handed starter
• Brewers are 1-8 in their last 9 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5
• Brewers are 0-6 in their last 6 home games
• Over is 7-2 in Brewers last 9 vs. a team with a winning record
• Over is 7-3 in Brewers last 10 overall

Impressive Pitching Matchup

Miles Mikolas was one pitch away from history in his last outing, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Cardinals 33-year-old right-hander had a no-hitter against the Pirates with two outs and two strikes when he gave up a double to centerfield.

In the end, he had to settle for the best outing of his career: 8.2 innings, one walk, one hit, no earned runs and six strikeouts in a 9-1 victory. Mikolas was fabulous in his outing prior to that as well, throwing eight innings of two-run ball, allowing just three hits no walks and a season-high nine strikeouts.

Overall on the year, he’s 5-4 with a 2.62 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 82.1 innings. He’s thrown quality starts in eight of his 13 outings this season.

Corbin Burnes, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner for the Brewers, has almost identical numbers to Mikolas – just with many more strikeouts.

Burnes is 4-4 on the season, with a 2.52 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 78.2 innings. That said, his month of June has gotten off to a pretty shaky start. He’s 1-2 with a 5.14 ERA and 1.83 WHIP.

Both Sides Look to Keep Bats Going

These offenses know they have tall tasks ahead of them, but the Brewers were swinging the bats well at the end of the week last week. Milwaukee went 5-2 over its past seven and has won four of its last five after enduring a 1-9 stretch earlier this month.

The Brewers have scored 32 runs over their past six games thanks in large part to Willy Adames on a recent power surge. The shortstop may have struck out seven times in the past four games, but he also has three home runs and eight RBIs since last Sunday. Hunter Renfroe also has two home runs and five RBIs in the past week with an .884 OPS.

St. Louis meanwhile has lost three of four, but still has two of the best MVP candidates in the league in Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Edman.

Goldschmidt is in the top three in the league with a .344 batting average (2nd), 58 RBIs (3rd), and 1.047 OPS (1st). Edman meanwhile has hits in 15 of 16 games this month and 18 of his past 20. His WAR (wins above replacement) at 4.2 is the best in all of baseball.

X-factors to Watch

For St. Louis, we’re going to focus on Harrison Bader, the underrated centerfielder. Bader has been great when playing away from Busch Stadium, hitting .322 this year (37-for115) with seven extra-base hits, a .363 OBP and .315 OPS.

On the flipside, Rowdy Tellez loves some home cooking. The Brewer’s power-hitting first baseman has hit seven of his 10 home runs in Milwaukee and has a .315 OBP with a 1.036 OPS in 26 games in front of the hometown fans.

How to Watch Cardinals at Brewers