Cardinals vs Brewers Odds - Brewers will overtake first in NL Central

The National League Central is a nightmare for online betting players to handicap, as all six teams in the division are separated by only seven games. The top two teams go head-to-head this week at Miller Park when the Brewers host the first-place Cardinals from St. Louis, and after getting called out by slugger Ryan Braun on Monday, you can bet that the Brewers will get enough from their starting pitchers to take the lead back in the Central.

Cardinals vs Brewers Odds: Milwaukee’s starters get the nod at home

• Wainwright-Gallardo matchup figures to be a duel
• Hitters get revenge against Wellemeyer, Suppan
• Looper gets best of former team one more time

Tuesday, July 7, 8:05 PM ET
Adam Wainwright (8-5, 3.32) vs Yovani Gallardo (8-5, 2.75)

Wainwright had a phenomenal outing in a 2-1 10-inning win over San Francisco, taking a no-decision by allowing a run on six hits over nine innings, striking out a season-high 12 batters, and his 122 pitches were also a 2009 high. The 27-year-old righty is 3-3 in 15 appearances (eight starts) against the Brewers, with a very good ERA of 2.59, and he held them to a run on five hits over seven innings in an 8-1 trouncing earlier this year.

Gallardo also struck out 12 in his last outing, but was saddled with the loss as the Brewers were shut out 1-0 by the Mets. The 23-year-old righthander hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since May 20th, and even though he is 0-1 in three starts against the Cardinals, he should have earned a victory back on May 25th, when he tossed a two-hit shutout over eight innings of a 1-0 win over St. Louis. Wainwright has a solid 5-1 mark on the road, but he also has a 4.80 ERA while the opposition is hitting .298 off of him. Gallardo is 4-3 at home with a 2.47 ERA and a .168 opposition average. The betting edge should go to the home team, and we recommend going under the posted total.

MLB betting pick: Brewers

Wednesday, July 8, 8:05 PM ET
Todd Wellemeyer (7-7, 5.44) vs Jeff Suppan (5-6, 4.60)

After a terrible June, Wellemeyer responded by giving up a pair of runs on seven hits over 7.1 innings in a 5-2 victory over the Giants. The 30-year-old righthander was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation, and this may have kept him safe for at least another start. He is 1-3 in 12 appearances (five starts) against the Brewers with a 5.59 ERA, including 1-1 this season. Suppan is another veteran pitcher who is struggling badly, but he took a no-decision in a 2-1 loss to the Cubs, allowing a run on four hits over seven innings. While he was pummeled for five runs on seven hits in just 3.2 innings against the Cards this year, he’s generally good against the Brewers’ Central rivals, going 7-3 in 15 career starts with a 3.31 ERA. This should be a high-scoring affair if you’re looking at the sports betting lines for the posted total. Milwaukee’s bullpen is just a hair better than their St. Louis counterparts.

MLB betting pick: Brewers

Thursday, July 9, 2:05 PM ET
Joel Pineiro (6-9, 3.39) vs Braden Looper (7-4, 4.78)

Pineiro just isn’t getting any breaks: in his last four starts, he’s given up 12 runs, but only six of them have been earned. Between run support and defense, the 30-year-old righthander should have at least two more victories under his belt, and possibly more. Pineiro is 1-0 in three starts against the Brewers with a 3.26 ERA.

Looper has won his last two starts, throwing a season-high 112 pitches in an 11-2 thumping of the Cubs on the road, and the 34-year-old has proven to be a solid addition to Milwaukee’s rotation. He’ll also have extra motivation in this contest, as he put up a decent 33-29 record in three seasons with the Cardinals before they let him go to the Brewers. He is 2-0 in 17 appearances (one start) with a 0.39 ERA against St. Louis, but those numbers are skewed because of all the relief outings. He did allow three runs (one earned) on three hits over six innings of an 8-4 win in St. Louis earlier this year. However, Pineiro keeps putting himself in a position to win, and it has to start paying off.

MLB betting pick: Cardinals

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Before his arm flamed out, Dale “Skip” Lalonde was famous for his high-90s heat and power at the plate. He retired young but never turned his back on baseball, earning the nickname “Skip” for his high-school coaching prowess. A true student of the game, he loves crunching the numbers when he handicaps baseball.