MLB Picks and Predictions:
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs
Friday May 10, 2019 1:20 PM EDT @ Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
The Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers do share a rivalry but it’s not very prominent in the global baseball scene. Recently though we have seen great series between these two baseball clubs especially since both of them became relevant in Major League Baseball recently. They do play in the same division, one that is branded by many as the potentially the best in baseball. This year’s race towards the first place in the division will be a huge one as three teams look to be very good this year meaning it will be a long battle between them. In those types of scenarios it’s almost paramount that you play your divisional opponents the best so each of these games played could be crucial down the line. The geographic proximity of the teams adds to the developing rivalry.
Runline Performance
Chicago Cubs Form
The Chicago Cubs have been playing some really good baseball lately despite starting the season very badly. For a long time, it looked like this team wouldn’t be a serious competitor especially playing in a division that had the Cardinals and Brewers which got off on much better stars. It all changed recently when the team finally started playing better and it showed. Currently, they are 2nd in their division only half a game behind the Cardinals whom they swept easily when they played. This team still didn’t unlock all of their potentials since many of their stars are still underperforming. You don’t have to look far to see that both Kris Bryant and Yu Darvish can play much better than they currently are.
Milwaukee Brewers Form
The Brewers enter this meeting also on a high note after a solid but shaky start. They are led by the current NL MVP Christian Yelich who is playing on the same level he finished the last season which won him the MVP honors. He leads the league in home runs and is a close 2nd to Cody Bellinger when it comes to RBI’s. Him being the key piece means that a lot of things will depend on him but there are other pieces in this team that are good enough to lead them to a playoff finish. Much will depend on the pitching staff that has been a bit shaky this season and certainly could be better. They will have Gio Gonzalez pitching in this one and he was great for them last season but with Jose Quintana waiting for him on the other side, it won’t be an easy job to do.
Brewers – Cubs Past Meetings
These two teams matched up 3 times already this season and the Brewers won two of those meeting. What is apparent from those previous meeting that the teams know each other pretty well with 2 games being extremely high scoring. Both of these teams are pretty good at hitting and their pitching hasn’t been the best but this matchup will be an interesting one because both Gonzalez and Quintana are good pitchers capable of delivering stellar and low-scoring games. Their meeting in previous years has been pretty close with Milwaukee coming out on top especially later in the season when Christian Yelich became hot. In this one, it’s expected to be potentially high scoring especially since both teams are very good and very familiar with each other and actually the only time that Quintana lost this season was to the Brewers.
Brewers – Cubs Prediction and Pick
As far as the prediction goes, these close games are always hard to predict. The current form of the team makes the Brewers a slight favorite but the Cubs do play at home and have a good pitcher pitching. Gio Gonzalez didn’t start this season yet so he might be a bit shaky especially on the windy Wrigley field with the weather expected not the greatest. If I’d have to pick a winner I’d choose the Cubs since they are more familiar with the brutal weather Wrigley can serve and with Gonzalez set to make his first start of the season I expect him to struggle quite a bit.
Moneyline Cubs Total Over 7