Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs MLB Odds, Betting Preview 9/12/18

Major league Baseball action on Wednesday evening and a pair of teams from the National League Central will square off as the Milwaukee Brewers tangle with Chicago Cubs. This is game three of a three-game series from Wrigley Field in Chicago and has a start time of 8:05 PM ET.

Lines:  Milwaukee +146… Chicago -156… Over/Under 8.5

Pitching Matchup

Getting the nod for the Brewers will be Chase Anderson and he has gone 9-7 with a 3.95 ERA in 28 starts on the year, including 4-4 with a 2.89 ERA in 13 starts on the road. In his career, he has gone 19-19 with a 3.89 ERA in 67 games (66 starts) on the road and 7-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 12 starts during Sept/ Oct, Anderson is 4-4 with a 2.91 ERa in 10 starts against the Cubs in his career, including 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA in six starts here at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs will be sending out Kyle Hendricks and he has gone 11-10 with a 3.71 ERA in 29 starts on the year, including 6-6 with a 3.5=5 ERA in 15 starts here at home. In his career, he has gone 25-15 with a 2.73 ERA in 65 games (64 starts) here at Wrigley and 9-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 22 starts during Sept/ Oct. Hendricks is 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 18 starts in his career against the Brewers.  

A Look At The Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers enter this game at 20 games over .500 and just two games out of first in the National League Central. Their other path to the postseason looks good at the moment as they are atop the wildcard standings and have a 4.5 game lead over the Dodgers who are in 3rd place in the standings. They have been playing well of late, but they are off a 3-0 loss to the Cubs in game two of this series. Milwaukee is 6-0 in their last six games off a loss, but they are also just 2-6 in their last eight games here in Chicago. Despite the loss, they are still 10-3 over their last 14 games and will look to get back on track behind Chase Anderson, who has pitched well on the road.   

Back to their 3-0 loss on Tuesday night. The Brewers were able to muster just three hits in the game while striking out 10 times. Lorenzo Cain, Jesus Aguilar, and Hernan Perez had the three hits. Jhoulys Chacin did not have a horrible outing as he allowed just two runs (one earned) on one hit and one walk while striking out five in 5.1 innings of work. He is now 14-7 with a 3.54 ERA on the year. Milwaukee has now gone 38-36 on the road and they have averaged 4.34 rpg and have allowed 4.24 rpg in those games.

A Look At The Cubs

The Chicago Cubs grabbed a huge win on Tuesday night as it gave them a two-game lead over the Brewers, instead of having the teams tied atop the National League Central. They also needed the win as it broke a three-game losing streak they were on. The Cubbies had a shutout in game two and they also needed that after allowing 6.33 rpg in their previous six games. They have not been playing great of late, but they do still have the lead in the division and they have a chance to increase that lead with a win in this game. They have a shot at doing so as Kyle Hendricks has been hot of late with a 2-0 record and 1.00 ERA in his last three starts.

Grabbing the win in game two was Jose Quintana, who has not pitched all that well at home this year. He allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out 7 in 6.2 innings of work to move to 13-9 with a 3.97 ERA on the year. He is 7-3 at home, but with a 4.39 ERA, compared to a 3.65 ERA on the road. Victor Caratini led the attack on offense with two hits and two RBIs. The Cubs have gone 45-25 here at home and they have averaged 4.97 rpg and have allowed 4.41 rpg in those games.

Trends

Milwaukee is:

4-0 in their last 4 when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous game.

6-1 in their last 7 during game 3 of a series

1-5 in Anderson’s last 6 road starts

The Over is 7-2 in their last 9 games vs. a right-handed starter

The Under is 17-5 in their last 22 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600

Chicago is:

22-6 in their last 28 home games vs. a right-handed starter.

7-2 in their last 9 after allowing 2 runs or less in their previous game

2-7 in Hendricks’ last 9 starts during game 3 of a series

The Over is 5-0 in their last 5 during game 3 of a series

The Under is 22-5-1 in Hendricks’ last 28 home starts vs. a team with a winning record