MLB Odds: St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers

Written May 26, 2009 by Steve Janus

cardinals-brewers-preview-052609 Just one game separates the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the National League’s Central Division. The Brewers are currently in first place and will host the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Milwaukee comes into the game with a 13-7 record at Miller Park this season. The Cardinals come to town on a 2-game losing streak and with a 9-10 road record this season. The Brewers swept the Cardinals in St. Louis in the last series between the two earlier this month. Will it be more of the same in Milwaukee, or will the Cardinals come in and take a few games back? The current MLB odds show the Brewers +105 against the Cardinals with the total set for 8.5 runs.

Starting Pitchers: Adam Wainwright gets the start for the Cardinals tonight, and he has been one of their most reliable arms so far this season. He is now 4-2 on the season with a 3.41 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He has struggled with a 5.00 ERA in three road starts this year, but the Cardinals are 3-0 in those starts. The majority of his bad numbers on the road came from his most recent start at the Cincinnati Reds, where he gave up 7 runs in just 4 innings. A part from that one very bad start, Wainwright has been pretty solid on the road this season. Former Cardinal, Jeff Suppan, starts for Milwaukee. he comes into tonight’s contest with a 3-3 record and a 4.71 ERA on the year. Suppan has struggled with his command this season, walking 23 batters in 49 2/3 innings while striking out just 25 batters. In comparison, Wainwright has walked 24 batters in 58 innings while striking out 47. Suppan has yet to earn a win at home this season in three tries and he has a 5.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in Miller Park this year. Edge: St. Louis

Batting: The Cardinals have been hurt by injuries to their most important offensive players not named Albert Pujols, the guys that protect The Machine in the line up, most notably Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel. On the season the Cards are batting just .234 as a team on the road, but still managing to score 4.6 runs per game. The Brewers have a low team average this season, particularly in Miller Park where they are hitting just .239, but they have 30 home runs in 20 games there, accounting for a big chunk of thier 4.7 runs per game and 13-7 record there. Edge: Milwaukee

Bullpens: The St. Louis bullpen has been solid this season overall, but has struggled to close games out on the road. As a unit they have a 3.38 ERA, but a 3-5 record and a 55.6% save success rate when they are the visitors. The much-improved Brewers’ bullpen has been a huge part of their success. So far this season their pen has a 10-4 record, a 3.46 ERA, and a save conversion rat of 72.7%. Edge: Milwaukee

The Brewers have the second most wins (27) in the National League behind only the LA Dodgers (31), and they are tough to beat at home. Expect Adam Wainwright to put in a solid effort for the Cardinals, but St. Louis will need to get up on Jeff Suppan early as the Milwaukee bullpen has been closing the door with great efficiency this season.

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