Brewers (Suter) vs Dodgers (Buehler) Game 1 Picks and Odds – Sep. 30th

• The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers begin their National League Wild Card Series on Wed. Sept. 30 at 10:08 p.m. ET
• Walker Buehler will be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers while the Brewers will go with left-hander Brent Suter
• For odds, matchup analysis and a best bet for the game, check out the article below

The No. 1-seed Los Angeles Dodgers host the No. 8-seed Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of their best-of-three National League Wild Card Series at 10:08 pm ET on Wednesday (Sep. 30) at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers (43-17) won their eighth straight NL West title and will start right-hander Walker Buehler.

The Brewers (29-31) snuck into the expanded postseason with a losing record. Left-hander Brent Suter will take the mound in the opener.

The teams have not not met this year as Major League Baseball went with a regionalized regular-season schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brewers vs Dodgers Game 1 Odds

Odds taken Sept. 29 from FanDuel

Buehler Over Blister

After sitting out 15 days because of a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand, Buehler had one tune-up start before the playoffs and says he is ready for the Brewers.

He pitched four scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics on Sept. 24. He allowed only one hit while striking out six and walking one. Buehler went 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA in eight starts this season with 42 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.

He started twice against the Brewers in the 2018 National League Championship Series, which was won by the Dodgers in seven games. He went 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA.

His lone regular-season start against the Brewers also came in 2018. He took the loss despite giving up only one run in seven innings.

Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia and right fielder Christian Yelich are both 3-for-7 with a homer against Buehler. Third baseman Jedd Gyorko is 3-for-4 with a double and two walks.

Suter Gets Call

Suter will pitch for the Brewers in what will, in essence, be a bullpen game for manager Craig Counsell. And Counsell has quite a relief corps to call on.

If the Brewers get a lead, this is what the Dodgers will face:
Devin Williams: 27 IP, 8 hits, 53 Ks. 0.33 ERA, 0.630 WHIP.
Josh Hader: 19 IP, 8 hits, 31Ks, 0.947 WHIP.
Williams has 17.7 K per 9 IP, Hader 14.7, Brent Suter 10.8.

— Mark Whicker (@MWhicker03) September 28, 2020

Suter was 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA in 16 games, including four starts, in the regular season. He struck out 38 in 32.1 innings.

In his starts, Suter allowed a total of just two runs in 13 innings for a 1.38 ERA. He did not pitch more than four innings in any of those outings.

Suter has faced the Dodgers only once in his career, giving up six runs (two earned) in three innings in a loss in 2018 as a starter.

Bellinger Bashes Brewers

The Dodgers won four of seven games from the Brewers during the 2019 season. Cody Bellinger led the way by going 11-for-25 (.440) with four home runs. Joc Pederson went 7-for-22 (.318) with four homers.

When the Dodgers beat the Brewers in the 2018 NLCS, Bellinger was named the MVP despite going just 5-for-25 (.200) with a double and a home run. He walked off the Brewers in Game 2 and his two-run homers in Game 7 sparked a 5-1 victory.

Yelich hit just .250 (6-for-24) against the Dodgers in 2019 but went deep four times.

Dodgers Tough at Home

The Dodgers were 21-9 at home during the regular season and favored in every game. They averaged 5.80 runs per game and allowed 3.27 for a +2.53 differential.

The Brewers were 14-17 in away games, including an 8-9 mark as an underdog.

Dominant Dodgers

The Dodgers had the best record in the majors during the truncated regular season and are hungry while continuing to pursue their first World Series title since 1988.

With Buehler healthy, it’s hard to bet against them.

Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-137)