Brewers and Cardinals Face Off in Game That Could Rewrite Baseball’s Unspoken Rules

So here we are again, dancing on the knife’s edge of baseball bets — got the side right yesterday but fumbled the play, chasing that elusive plus money line like a gambler sniffing out the next big score. The Reds edged the Cubs 1-0, and I’m crossing my fingers those who played it safe on the moneyline pulled through while I got a bit too adventurous with the run line. But hey, isn’t that just baseball betting in a nutshell? Today, though, the spotlight shifts to a juicier NL Central showdown: the surging Brewers against the tenacious Cardinals.

The Brewers? They’re the real-deal, possibly the best record in the majors if you ask the scoreboard. Their switch flipped midseason — suddenly, it’s win after win, marchin’ toward a 100-win year, maybe the only club hitting that mark in 2024. Rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski takes the mound, a guy who made the All-Star cut after only five starts (talk about a fast track, though the league’s caught up to him a bit since). On the other side, the Cardinals cling to faint playoff hopes with Sonny Gray toeing the rubber, a reliable if not spectacular season under his belt.

If you ask me, the real intrigue lies in how these arms will respond to back-to-back showdowns — expecting Misiorowski to bounce back stronger and Gray to stumble just a touch. Runs? Oh, I’m betting we see plenty. So, shall we cheer on the Brewers to clinch it while the scoreboard lights up? Let’s break down the odds and pick apart the nuances together — it’s bound to be a thriller. LEARN MORE

Brewers vs. Cardinals, 8:15 ET

In a somewhat microcosm example of my betting season for baseball, I had the correct side, but the wrong play in my article yesterday. I said that the Reds would beat the Cubs and told people the safe option was the moneyline. That was the good news, the problem is, that my play was actually the run line, and, of course, the Reds won the game 1-0. I am hopeful that most took the moneyline and weren’t greedy like me trying to catch the plus money score. Today we shift to a different NL Central battle as the Brewers take on the Cardinals.

The Brewers are the best team in baseball, at least by record. I suppose that best is a bit of a subjective term, but they have been playing great baseball for the majority of the season. It seems as if a switch was flipped, and the team decided to win again and again. They have a chance to finish the season 6-3 and be a 100-game winner, likely the only one for the year. The Brewers just swept the Angels, and now look to put the final nail in the coffin of a divisional foe as the Cardinals are still technically in the playoff hunt. Today the Brewers send out their rookie stud, Jacob Misiorowski, to the hill. It does seem like the league has adjusted a bit to Misiorowski as he somehow made the All-Star team after just five starts (a bit ridiculous if you ask me, especially considering he only had four good ones). Since the All-Star Game, he has pitched in eight games. He has allowed 21 earned runs in 34 innings. He has also only completed more than five innings once since that point. The tall hurler has faced the Cardinals twice this season. In his debut he threw five innings and allowed no hits, four walks, and five strikeouts. His next game against them was his most recent start, allowing four earned runs on seven hits over five innings.

The Cardinals are desperately grasping for anything they can to keep their playoff hopes alive. Them getting to the postseason likely requires a lot of losses from the teams in front of them, and for the Cardinals to win every remaining game. So, as you can imagine, it is highly unlikely they make the postseason, but they are technically still alive. The Cardinals have put together a decent enough season, but they aren’t particuarly great at anything. They have a decent batting average, and their pitching staff has been fine, but they just weren’t ever dominant enough to give them a true path to the playoffs. Tonight, they put their best starter on the mound with Sonny Gray. This has been a good season for Gray with a 13-8 record, 4.43 ERA, and a 1.22 WHIP. Gray has been better at home than on the road, but he still has a 4.04 home ERA. He also faced the Brewers in his most recent start with Milwaukee getting two earned runs over five innings. He has faced them three times this season, and has posted only one quality start against them. Overall, the Brewers are hitting .278 against him.

I generally like to go opposite the next time a pitcher faces a team. Especially if they face a team in back-to-back starts. My expectation is that Misiorowski responds and pitches better and that Gray pitches a little worse. I think the best look here is a total instead of a side though, as I think we probably get a good amount of runs in this one. I’ll back the over for the game, but I do think the Brewers win it.

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