Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers MLB Odds, Betting Preview 9/4/18

Tuesday MLB action and a pair of teams from the National League Central will hookup as the Chicago Cubs rumble with the Milwaukee Brewers. This is game two of a three-game series and will take place at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Start time is 8:05 pm ET. The Cubs lead the season series 9-5.

Lines:  Chicago -105… Milwaukee -105… Over/Under 9

Pitching Matchup

Toeing the rubber for the Cubs will be Mike Montgomery and he has gone 4-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 33 games (14 starts) on the year, including 2-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 19 games (eight starts) on the road. Montgomery is 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA in his 14 games as a starter. In his career, he has gone 14-15 with a 3.97 ERA in 51 games as a starter and 11-13 with a 3.42 ERA in 71 games (27 starts) on the road, plus 2-2 with a 3.02 ERa in 15 games (seven starts) during Sept/ Oct. He has gone 1-6 with a 5.24 ERA in 14 games (five starts) against the Brewers, including 1-3 with a 2.76 ERA in seven games (two starts) here at Miller Park.

The Brewers will trot out Wade Miley and he has gone 2-2 with a 2.18 ERA in 11 starts on the year, including 0-0 with a 2.76 ERA in four starts here at home. In his career, he has gone 1-2 with a 6.83 ERA in seven starts here at Miller Park and 8-14 with a 5.08 ERA in 37 games (36 starts) during Sept/ Oct. Miley is 4-2 with a 4.47 ERA in seven starts against the Cubs in his career.    

A Look At The Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are leading the National League Central by four games over the Brewers, which is a decent lead in the division at this time of the year. Still, they lost game one of this series by a score of 4-3 and it was a tough loss as the Brewers won it in the bottom of the 9th inning. Chicago has won 10 of their last 13 games and they will be looking to avoid their 2nd two-game losing streak since back in late July. Their pitching has been really good of late as they have allowed just 2.50 rpg over their last 18 games. They are clearly the best team in the National League right now and could very well be on their way to the World Series.

The Cubs did have a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 8th, but the Brewers were able to tie in that inning and then they won it in the bottom of the 9th. Anthony Rizzo led their attack with three hits and two RBIs in the game. They had six hits and drew two walks in the game, but also struck out 11 times. Cole Hamels had a good start as he allowed just two ERs on five hits and a walk while striking out five in 6.0 innings of work. He got a no-decision, while Steve Cishek took the loss and he is now 4-3 with a 2.02 ERA on the year. Chicago has gone 37-32 on the road and have averaged 4.62 rpg and have allowed 4.38 rpg in those games.   

A Look At The Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are surging as they have won five of their last six games and 10 of their last 14. That has enabled them to grab a 1.5 game lead over the Cardinals in the race for the top spot in the wildcard standings. They still have plenty of work to do as four teams in all are just 5.0 games or less behind them. Still, they are playing very well at the moment and this is the time of year that you want to do that. They have been led by their offense of late as they have averaged 5.69 rpg over their last 13 games. They have needed it as they have allowed 5.00 rpg over the same stretch. The Brew Crew really needs to get their pitching back on track.

Milwaukee got a solid start from Zach Davies on Monday night in what was his first start since May 29th. He allowed just one ER on four hits and a walk while striking out seven in 5.0 innings of work to take a no-decision. Jeremy Jeffress grabbed the win and is now 8-1 with a 1.48 ERA on the year. He has been their best performer in the pen all year. The Brewers tied the game in the bottom of the 8th and then won it in the bottom of the 9th thanks to Christian Yelich beating out a potential double play ball. It was his 2nd RBI of the game, while Lorenzo Cain had two hits and an RBI. The Brewers have gone 41-26 here at home and they have averaged 4.57 rpg and have allowed 4.24 rpg in those games.  

Trends

Chicago is:

21-6 in their last 27 during game 2 of a series

19-8 in their last 27 games vs. a left-handed starter

The Under is 20-6 the last 26 meetings

Milwaukee is:

19-7 in their last 26 home games vs. a team with a winning road record

40-19 in their last 59 during game 2 of a series

The Over is 11-4 in Brewers last 15 games following a win