Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs Betting Preview/Prop Picks

Today, we've got a big game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. In fact, there's a double-header between these two today. So, the Milwaukee Brewers will have to play back-to-back road games on the same day.

The question is, can the Brewers find a way to win both of these games. If not, will they split the games, or could the Cubs win both of them?

The game we're going to focus on is the one later in the afternoon. This 7:40 PM game is quite a distance from the first game, so we'll have to take that into account.

We'll look at each of the pitchers and how they've performed, and how each team is at the plate. With each of these teams in the NL Central, this could be a pivotal game in terms of standings.

Milwaukee Brewers: Ashby at SP could be a problem tonight

One area where the Brewers could improve is with their pitching rotation. At the moment, Milwaukee only has a few strong pitchers, and Ashby has struggled. To be fair, his 0-3 record isn't all his fault.

In fact, he has an impressive 2.91 ERA this season, but his team hasn't come through for him. Still, the 0-3 record will follow him until he can get a few wins under his belt.

Where the Brewers do really well is at the plate, with a team batting average of .237. This season, Rowdy Tellez leads the group with ten home runs. Leading the batters is Hunter Renfrow, with a batting average of .303.

Willy Adames is still on the 10-Day IL, eliminating him from the games today. So, will the batters finally get Ashby his first win of the season?

Chicago Cubs: Drew Smyly will get the start on the mound

Drew Smyly doesn't have a much better record than Aaron Ashby. This season, Smyly is 2-5 on the mound with an ERA of 4.08. Although he has a worse ERA than Ashby, he has a better record due to batting.

The Cubs are tied for 12th in total runs this season at 201. They also have an on-base percentage of .312, which puts them at 15th overall in Major League Baseball.

With Smyly taking the mound, the Cubs could be in a bit of trouble. His over 4.00 ERA doesn't inspire much confidence for us, considering who he's facing.

Through their last four games, the Cubs have lost three of them, one of which to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds put up 20 runs on the Cubs in that game, and the pitcher was Justin Steele. Keep that in mind for today's game.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs Betting Pick

After looking at each of these teams, the Brewers seem like the clear pick to us. They come in as favorites, and for a good reason, they're the better team.

Sure, Ashby has yet to secure a win, but the blame isn't solely on him. He's a strong pitcher with a solid ERA, and the Brewers' bats are better than the Cubs.

We're going to take the under in terms of the total runs today. The reason why is because of the pitching from both the Cubs and Brewers. With Smyly and Ashby on the mound, the both teams should be challenged to put up quite a few runs today.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Milwaukee Brewers -135, UNDER

Prop Pick

Chicago Cubs (-105) UNDER 4.5 Runs

Milwaukee is allowing 3.85 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 6 in the league, while holding teams to .630 OPS, which ranks No. 4. Scores have gone UNDER in five of the Brewers’ last seven road games.

With Dunkel predicting a Milwaukee victory by the score of 4-3, take the Cubs (-105) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 4.5 runs against the Brewers.

Aaron Ashby (+120) OVER 4.5 Strikeouts

Ashby has 39 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched (10.3 Ks per 9 innings), which ranks No. 5 on the Brewers. The Cubs’ offense is averaging 9.15 strikeouts per 9 innings, which ranks No. 25 in the league.

With Dunkel predicting a Brewers win while holding the Cubs UNDER their Vegas team run total, take Ashby (+120) to finish OVER 4.5 strikeouts versus Chicago.

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All Media on this page by Associated Press.