The Yu Darvish era did not get off to a good start in Chicago, as the Cubs newly acquired ace gave up five hits and five runs while lasting just 4.1 innings against the Miami Marlins. His dependency on the fastball – which he struggled to keep under control – led to Darvish only throwing 59 of his 102 pitches for strikes in that game. The $126 million-dollar man will try to rebound when the Cubs continue their weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday.
The Brewers will counter with Zach Davies who was far from excellent in his first outing of the season. The 25-year old surrendered eight hits and seven runs in 5.2 innings of work in the Brewers’ home opener against the Cardinals. However, Davies played some of his best baseball of the 2017 season against the Cubs, with a 3.66 ERA and a 24/5 K/BB ratio in five starts against Chicago.
Offense has been typically hard to come by when these NL Central rivals meet, as the UNDER has cashed in six of their last seven meetings. The Cubs and Brewers have averaged a combined 7.1 runs per game in their last seven games dating back to September 10, 2017. That being said, the two squads have jumped on some early season struggles of the opposing pitching staffs in this series, plating 17 runs in two games.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The visiting Chicago Cubs were -139 moneyline favorites in this one earlier in the day at most online sportsbooks including Sportsbook. The total was 8.5 at Sportsbook for those preferring over under betting.
Odds Shark computer score prediction models pick a possible 7.9-3.5 win for the Cubs on Saturday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Milwaukee Brewers sport a record of 5-3 heading into this matchup, while the Chicago Cubs sit at 3-4 on the season Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Milwaukee vs Chicago injuries news.
The Milwaukee Brewers sit at No. 10 in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Chicago Cubs sit at No. 3 on the same chart.
Statistical Matchup
On offense, it's a battle between the Milwaukee Brewers and its No. 17-rated batting order, averaging 3.88 runs per nine innings, against the No. 13 line up of the Chicago Cubs at 4.43 runs per outing.
Comparing defensive stats, Chicago owns the No. 11-rated road mark, allowing 3.43 runs per game on the highway. Milwaukee, on the other hand, rates No. 25 in scoring at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Cubs were saddled with a loss last time out in K Hendricks's start, as they lost 5-4 against Milwaukee on Friday at Miller Park.
Next Betting Matchups
Chicago at Milwaukee, Sunday, April 8th