Cubs to continue dominance of Brewers?
After a rougher-than-normal week, the best team in baseball storms back into action against a wounded division rival.
The Cubs, winners of seven straight at Miller Park, visit the Brewers in tonight’s opener of a three-game set. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv clearly prefer the visitors, while Craig Counsell’s club enters as a +180 underdog. The over/under total sits at nine runs.
Most squads wouldn’t fret about dropping three games in a four-day span. When you’re Chicago (29-7), however, such a stumble simply doesn’t compute. Even though Joe Maddon’s gang took two of three from Pittsburgh over the weekend, expect a much sharper offensive approach vs. the bumbling Brew Crew.
Not only does Milwaukee limp in with a 16-22 record, its top player stands to miss a third straight contest. Left fielder Ryan Braun, hitting .367 in 128 plate appearances, continues to battle a sore right wrist. If he can’t go, Kyle Hendricks’ job becomes considerably easier. The Chicago righty (2-2, 3.03 ERA) already fanned a season-high eight in his most recent outing.
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Counsell counters with Chase Anderson (1-5, 6.11), who holds an 8.88 ERA while losing five consecutive starts. Beginning at 8:10 p.m. ET, he faces a lineup that averages 5.9 runs per tilt. The Brewers’ yard is really playing like a bandbox at present, too, making matters even more enticing for Anthony Rizzo (eight homers and 24 RBIs in his past 15 outings in the Badger State) and the rest of the gang.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS/BREWERS OVER 9 RUNS
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