Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals Preview and Pick

Milwaukee Brewers (8-5) – Carlos Villanueva +110, 9 O/U at St. Louis Cardinals (10-4) – Adam Wainwright -130, 9 O/U, Busch Stadium, 8:15 PM EST, Wednesday
by Badger of Predictem.com

The National League Central Division leading St. Louis Cardinals hope to continue their hot streak when they host the second-place Milwaukee Brewers in game two of a crucial early season three-game series at Busch Stadium Wednesday.

The Cardinals broke open a tight 1-1 game with two runs in the fifth inning and went on to an easy 6-1 victory Tuesday. The Brewers continued to struggle on offense, managing just three hits in the game, while the Cards rapped out 12 hits to give starter Braden Looper his third win of the season.

Tonight’s matchup features two young right-handers, as Milwaukee sends Carlos Villanueva to the hill against the Cards Adam Wainwright.

Most offshore sportsbooks opened the game with St. Louis as a -130 favorite on the moneyline, with Milwaukee listed as a +110 underdog. The over/under total is listed at 9.

With last night’s victory the Cardinals have now won six straight games at the new Busch Stadium after losing the home opener. The Cards are riding the NL’s second best batting average (.273) right now, after riding their strong starting pitching the first week of the season.

How good is it going for the Cards right now? Light-hitting outfielder Skip Schumaker went 2-for-4 with two RBIs yesterday, while Adam Kennedy added three hits and a RBI at the bottom of the Cardinals lineup.

The opposite could be said for the Brewers, as they are looking for a spark on offense right now.

Prince Fielder has yet to hit a homerun this season, and Ryan Braun was held out of the lineup last night to clear his head after a 2- for-25 slump. The Brewers best offensive player so far, once-retired outfielder Gabe Kapler (.423, 4 HR, 11 RBI) also sat out of the game last night after hurting his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall during batting practice.

Wainwright (1-1, 3.60) will be looking to rebound after struggling a little last time out (8 hits, 4 runs) in a 5-1 loss at San Francisco. Wainwright has faced the Brewers nine times in his career, two starts, and sports a 1-1 record with a 2.14 ERA.

Villanueva will also be looking to rebound from a disappointing last start. Villanueva was cruising until he gave up five straight hits (including a two-run homer) versus Cincinnati, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Reds last Thursday. Villanueva has had some success versus the Cardinals in the past, with a 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA in eight career appearances (three starts) against them, including a 1-0, 4.22 mark in his lone start at Busch Stadium. Villanueva has had his troubles with Albert Pujols in the past, but who hasn’t? Pujols is 6-for-15 with 2 HRs and 5 RBI versus Villanueva, and as a whole Pujols really enjoys playing against the Brewers (.351, 25 HR, 92 RBI in 404 career at-bats).

Milwaukee seems to always struggle versus the NL Central rival Cards, going just 2-8 in the last 10 head-to-head matchups. The Brewers also offer a conflicting set of betting trends in tonight’s game, as the over is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head game with the Cards, but the under is 7-2 in Villanueva’s last nine starts on the hill.

St. Louis, at 10-4 so far, is the second best money team in all of MLB with a +546 take, including a +479 mark at home in Busch. If Wainwright can get the game into the bullpen’s hands the Cards have a great chance, as they currently sport MLB’s second best bullpen ERA at 2.74.

Badger’s Pick: Both pitchers lost last time out, yet neither one of them really pitched all that bad. It seems to be a matter of run support for both of them, which leads me to believe the hot-hitting Cardinals will offer up better support tonight. Take Wainwright and St. Louis despite the borderline high -130 price.

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