Brewers vs Cubs Odds, Lines, and Pick – April 5

• The Chicago Cubs aim to end home losing streak against Milwaukee as they open three-game series with Brewers as slim favorites
• Both the Cubs and Brewers are coming off disappointing offensive performance in their respective season-opening series
• We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of Monday’s NL Central matchup at Wrigley Field

The Chicago Cubs will be looking to snap a three-game home losing streak against Milwaukee when they open a three-game series against the Brewers on Monday. The Brewers vs Cubs odds see Chicago open as -118 favorites, with first pitch set for 7:40 pm ET.

Chicago dropped three straight one-run decisions to the Brewers in their last visit to the North Side in August of last year, and have fallen to defeat in 10 of the past 16 overall meetings between these two clubs.

Milwaukee now faces a massive challenge to turn the page on their dismal performance on the road down the stretch last season, which they closed on a 6-14 run.

Here’s a look at all the odds and trends ahead of Monday’s clash between these NL Central rivals.

Brewers vs Cubs Odds

*Odds as of April 4th

Williams Aims to Rebound in First Start

Trevor Williams gets set to make his first start since signing with Chicago as a free agent during the offseason. A 14-game winner back in 2018, the righthander struggled at times while making 11 starts for the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates last season. Williams gave up five or more earned runs in four of his final six starts, and each of his past three starts against Milwaukee have been losses.

#Pirates defeat #Brewers 1-0. Trevor Williams bounces back throwing 7 innings of 1-hit ball with 7 Ks and 2 BBS. Jordy Mercer had the lone RBI. #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/EfzFd5YTCb

— Armchair Pirates (@ArmchairPirates) June 19, 2018

Williams has limited the Brewers to just five total earned runs over his past two outings, and threw 19.0 total innings of shutout ball in three appearances against Milwaukee in 2019. However, Wrigley Field was less than kind to Williams as a visitor. The 28-year-old has posted just one win in seven career starts at Wrigley, allowing 17 total earned runs over his past three appearances.

Brewers Career Stats vs Williams

Cubs Offense Stumbles Through Opening Weekend

The Cubs took two of three from Pittsburgh in their first series. However, Chicago has been far from dominant in the early going, tallying just 12 total hits, capped by a three-hit performance in Sunday afternoon’s 4-3 victory. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez combined to produce half of the team’s hit production during the series.

Cubs pitchers have walked 10 batters.
Cubs batters have struck out 11 times.

The Cubs have 1 hit.
And the game is going to be 4 hours long.#CubsbytheNumbers

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) April 1, 2021

Runs have also come at a premium at times when the Cubs they host Milwaukee. The club has been limited to three or fewer runs on five occasions while losing six of their past nine to the Brewers at Wrigley, including a pair of shutout losses late in the 2019 campaign.

Anderson Overdue for Run Support

Brett Anderson aims to build on a promising performance in his first campaign with Milwaukee in 2020, when he takes the mound for the first time this season. The veteran southpaw was forced to settle for a 4-4 record last season despite surrendering more than two earned runs in just two of his 10 starts.

#Brewers LHP Brett Anderson surrendered two first-inning runs then settled in to finish with this pitching line: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. In six spring outings, compiled a 2.66 ERA. Really solid camp.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) March 30, 2021

The 33-year-old has also endured hard luck when taking the hill against the Cubs. Anderson has picked up just one win in four career starts despite limiting Chicago hitters to just six total earned runs over 20.1 innings, capped by a steady five-hit, two-earned run performance in a 4-2 loss at Wrigley Field last August.

A lack of run support also overshadowed Anderson’s solid performance in Cactus league action. With Brewers hitters mustering three or fewer runs in four of his six starts, Anderson managed to post just two wins despite allowing just six total earned runs.

Cubs Career Stats vs Anderson

Yelich Leads Sputtering Brewers Attack

Indeed, a lack of offensive production was at the heart of Milwaukee’s late-season swoon last summer. The Brewers averaged just two runs per game while going 3-7 down the stretch, with six of those losses coming on the road. Those woes have carried into the new season, with the Brewers following up on Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the visiting Minnesota Twins with a sputtering five-hit performance in an 8-2 defeat in Sunday’s series finale.

#MNTwins take the rubber match vs. MIL 8-2 today. Pineda looked sharp on the mound and a good performance for the offense to continue to build off of.

Twins out hit the Brewers 25-17 in the series, with 11 of those MIL hits coming in the opener. #GOTWINS

— Twinkie Talk (@Twinkie_Talk) April 4, 2021

Looking to rebound from a disappointing 2020 campaign, former NL MVP Christian Yelich has yet to find his groove. Yelich was held hitless in five of his final seven outings to close out last season with just 12 home runs and a .205 batting average. The 29-year-old mustered just three total hits as the Brew Crew dropped two of three to the Twins this past weekend, and went just 5-for-41 at the plate in seven appearances against Chicago last season.

The Pick: Cubs (-118)

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