Brewers vs Cubs Prediction Wednesday | MLB Odds, Picks Today (August 30)
Pictured: Brandon Woodruff. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Brewers vs. Cubs Odds
| Brewers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
-124 | 6.5 -124 / +102 | -1.5 +146 |
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
+106 | 6.5 -124 / +102 | +1.5 -176 |
Chicago is living up to its moniker as the winds are rustling through Wrigley Field in this series. The heavy winds have driven down the total for this matchup, and playing against them may be risky business. But remember: Everything has a buy-back point.
I bring up the winds and the total because it's not like the men on the mound need any more help. Brandon Woodruff will get the ball for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he's been nothing short of dominant since coming back from injury.
Opposing him for the Cubs will be Kyle Hendricks, who has bounced back from a rough past few seasons and holds a 3.80 ERA this year.
So, will Hendricks keep the Brewers offense quiet? Or can Woodruff teach the Cubs a lesson of his own? Let's take a closer look to find out.
The Brew Crew have a reasonably firm hold on the NL Central as they're up a handful of games on the Cubs. However, considering their offensive woes, they're fairly fortunate to be where they are.
Milwaukee is hitting just .236 and its xBA is just .237. The Brewers have only managed to score in spurts and haven't shown much ability to consistently generate loud contact.
However, they may be in a good spot to manufacture some runs in the Windy City because Hendricks is due for some sizable regression.
Hendricks has always been a guy who pitches to contact, and this season, he's been elite in generating soft contact, but you know the old saying. "Put the ball in play, and good things will happen." Well, the Brewers should be putting the ball in play a ton against Hendricks.
This Milwaukee lineup is due for some balls to bounce their way against Hendricks, as their collective xBA against him is 36 points higher than their actual batting average. Getting men on base and scratching out runs will be the name of this game, and the Brewers should have more opportunities to do that.
The Cubs have begun to become a fun team to watch down the stretch as it's nice to see a storied franchise bounce back after some middling campaigns.
They have been sparked by their lineup, which contains a resurgent Cody Bellinger, Jeimer Candelario in a breakout season, and a few very productive young stars.
However, the Cubbies are in for a tough assignment against Woodruff. Woodruff has made just six starts on the season as he missed nearly three full months with injury, but almost every time he's toed the rubber, he's been lights out.
Woodruff enters this outing with a 2.65 ERA and a microscopic 0.88 WHIP. While you would typically expect some regression from his dominant small sample size, his xBA of .196 tells a different story, one that points to a rough afternoon for the Cubs.
Brewers vs. Cubs
Betting Pick & Prediction
This game is going to be tightly contested as the elements are in favor of the men on the mound. It will be up to the lineups to put the ball in play and make something happen.
It's clear the Brewers are the side that will have the better opportunity to put the ball in play often as I'm expecting Woodruff to challenge and overpower the Cubs.
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