Brewers vs Cubs Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (August 12)
- The Milwaukee Brewers are heavy road favorites over the Chicago Cubs Thursday afternoon
- It’s a great matchup between Cy Young candidate Brandon Woodruff (7-6, 2.23) for Milwaukee facing Kyle Hendricks (13-4, 3.68) for Chicago
- The odds and pitching matchups can be found below with a prediction
The Milwaukee Brewers seek to stretch their sizable National League Central division lead on the road against the Chicago Cubs at 2:20 pm ET, Thursday, in the finale of a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
The Brewers (69-46, 37-19 away) hold an eight-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds in the division standings, while the Cubs (52-64, 31-27 home) are 17.5 games behind in fourth place.
Craig Counsell’s club swept a doubleheader Tuesday to open the series and jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on Wednesday. They re 16-7 in the second half. Milwaukee is a big favorite in this spot. Meanwhile, the Cubs are 8-18 since the All-Star break and have won just four of 17 games since the trade deadline — when they turned over their roster.
Milwaukee opened as a -195 favorite on the moneyline and that number has not changed dramatically.
Brewers vs Cubs Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | -195 | -1.5 (-120) | Over 8.5 (-115) |
| Chicago Cubs | +165 | +1.5 (+100) | Under 8.5 (-105) |
Odds as of August 11th at DraftKings
Probable Pitchers
In a stellar pitching matchup, the Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff (7-6, 2.23) faces Kyle Hendricks (13-4, 3.68).
Woodruff is coming off his 16th quality start of the season (out off 22 starts in 2021). He went six innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, one walk and struck out eight in an eventual 9-6 loss to the Giants the Brew Crew’s bullpen let get away from them. Hendricks is coming off his 17th quality start (in 23 starts). The Cubs starter gave up seven hits, two earned runs, three walks and struck out seven in a game the North Siders lost to the White Sox 8-6.
Woodruff vs Hendricks
| 7-6 | Record | 13-4 |
| 2.23 | ERA | 3.68 |
| 2.93 | xERA | 4.65 |
| 0.89 | WHIP | 1.29 |
| 4.85 | SO/W | 3.48 |
Woodruff is 4-5 with a 2.20 ERA in 11 road starts this season. In eight day-game starts, he has been absolutely lights out, with a 3-1 record and a 1.48 ERA.
Zack Wheeler is one of only two pitchers with an ERA, xERA, FIP, and xFIP below 3. The other is Brandon Woodruff. This is going to be an excellent Cy Young race down the stretch.
— Leo Morgenstern (@morgensternmlb) August 6, 2021
Woodruff owns a 2-0 record against the Cubs this season over four starts. The Brewers have gone 3-1 in those games. His last outing against David Ross’ club happens to be his most recent victory of 2021. The two-time All-Star went six innings on June 29th, scattering four hits while allowing one earned run, three walks, and striking out eight in a 2-1 win.
Hendricks is 6-3 with a 4.25 ERA in twelve starts at Wrigley this season. The 31-year-old owns a 6-2 mark and 2.97 ERA in day games
He has not faced Milwaukee this season, but owns a 10-6 career record against the division rival, with a 2.86 ERA over 26 starts.
Kyle Hendricks, 89mph Paint. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/NJjGCi6xlf
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 6, 2021
Left Side Dominant
The left side of the Brewers’ infield enjoyed a pair of big games in Tuesday’s doubleheader to open the series. Shortstop Eduardo Escobar went a combined 4-for-8, scoring two runs and knocking in a run. Third baseman Willy Adames was 3-for-6 with a solo home run and another run scored.
Adames leads the club with a .298 batting average, while recording a team-high 20 doubles to go along with 16 home runs and 46 RBI. Hendricks has managed the 25-year-old well however. Adames is 0-for-3 against the Cubs starter.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Brewers Batters | Batting Average vs Kyle Hendricks |
|---|---|
| Kolten Wong | .349 |
| Willy Adames | .000 |
| Eduardo Escobar | .273 |
| Avisail Garcia | .286 |
| Tyrone Taylor | 1.000 |
| Lorenzo Cain | .185 |
| Luis Urias | .125 |
| Manny Piña | .133 |
Kolten Wong is obviously the standout here. The Brewers second baseman was a combined 0-for-5 against Cubs pitching in Tuesday’s doubleheader, but he owns a 15-for-43 mark against Hendricks (including three doubles and a home run). Other possible picks to click are Milwaukee’s home run leader Avisail Garcia (who has hit 20 long balls in 2021) and Christian Yelich (if he’s in the lineup).
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Cubs Batters | Batting Average vs Brandon Woodruff |
|---|---|
| Rafael Ortega | .000 |
| Willson Contreras | .154 |
| Ian Happ | .158 |
| Patrick Wisdom | .500 |
| Austin Romine | .000 |
| Sergio Alcantara | .333 |
With most of the hitters Woodruff is used to facing in the Cubs lineup now playing elsewhere, Thursday’s tilt will be different for the Milwaukee starter. Willson Contreras and Ian Happ are the only batters with double-digit career ABs against B-Woody, and they’ve gone a combined 5-for-32 (.156) with only one extra-base hit (a three-run homer by Happ). This is not a formidable lineup Woodruff will be facing.
Brewers vs Cubs Pick
This is a clear mismatch, with the road team having taken 11 of the 14 games against the home team this season. The one stat to keep in mind is Hendricks’ career mark against Milwaukee. But Woodruff’s record in day games this season more than neutralizes that.
The Cubs are looking toward the future and the Brew Crew is looking toward October. The Brewers are heavy favorites, but they’re the better bet in this spot.
The Pick: Brewers moneyline (-195)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
