The Milwaukee Brewers (79-48) and Chicago Cubs (73-54) will face off in the MLB this afternoon. First pitch from Wrigley Field is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET. The game will broadcast live on FDSWI.
The Brewers have looked a bit vulnerable after their crazy winning streak. Can they end this series in Chicago on the right note today? The Cubs are -130 favorites to win outright on the moneyline, while Milwaukee is +110 to pull off the upset.
Continue below for my Brewers vs Cubs predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, August 21, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
Brewers vs Cubs Prediction, Picks
- Brewers vs Cubs pick: Brewers Moneyline (+110)
My Cubs vs. Brewers best bet is on Milwaukee moneyline, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Brewers vs Cubs Odds for Thursday, August 21
| Brewers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -205 | 6.5 -120o / +100u | +110 |
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +170 | 6.5 -120o / +100u | -130 |
Brewers vs Cubs Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Quinn Priester (MIL) | Stat | LHP Shota Imanaga (CHC) |
|---|---|---|
| 11-2 | W-L | 8-5 |
| 0.9 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 1.2 |
| 3.48 / 3.82 | ERA / xERA | 3.06 / 3.56 |
| 4.33 / 3.78 | FIP / xFIP | 4.32 / 4.46 |
| 1.24 | WHIP | 0.95 |
| 2.5 | K/BB | 4.5 |
| 58 | GB% | 28.6 |
| 97 | Stuff+ | 94 |
| 100 | Location+ | 110 |
Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs MLB Preview
Milwaukee Brewers Betting Preview, Analysis
Now is the perfect time to get back on the Brewers bandwagon after their disappointing doubleheader loss on Tuesday.
And there’s no better pitcher in the rotation to back than Quinn Priester. Sure, the Brewers almost never lose, but they haven’t lost a Priester outing since May 24th!
You’ve made out like a bandit in the past three months if you bet on Milwaukee in games started by Priester. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Priester is one of the better groundball pitchers in baseball. He records a 58.4% groundball rate, which helps his 3.48 ERA. On the downside, Priester has a 3.82 xERA and 4.33 FIP.
However, his ability to turn a quick double play allows him to squirm out of potential jams and overcome his shaky underlying numbers.
Milwaukee may not have a bona fide star, but it still leads the sport with a 147 wRC+ in August.
All everybody talks about –including myself– is how much the Brewers like to slap the ball around. We talk like they're living in the 1980s.
While to some extent, that's true, they bat for a high average. It's not just average and slap-hitting, as they rank second in MLB in homers this month and top five in ISO.
The Brewers have all the ingredients for offensive greatness. They hit for power and average, and they have a 9.8% walk rate with a 17.8% strikeout rate.
Pitchers have to throw them strikes, and if they do, they hit them more than most teams. Good luck!
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview, Analysis
While Priester has worse underlying numbers than his basic ERA, so does Shota Imanaga, who'll start for the Cubs.
Imanaga has found a way to evade regression all year. He has a delightful 3.06 ERA with a concerning 3.56 xERA and 4.32 FIP.
Where Imanaga differs from Priester is how they get their outs.
Imanaga is an extreme fly-ball pitcher, recording a ground ball rate of just 28.6%.
Milwaukee will look to expose Imanaga's propensity for fly-ball and his 1.57 HR/9.
Expect plenty of balls in play, as the Brewers love putting the ball in play, and Imanaga doesn't strike out batters much.
Last year, Imanaga punched out over 10 batters per nine, but his 7.43 K/9 seems to indicate that his opponents have caught onto his stuff a bit more.
Remember when the Cubs had arguably the best offense in the sport? Yeah, that's a complete afterthought now, as the Cubs have the worst wRC+ in baseball this month.
The biggest member of the struggle bus is Kyle Tucker, who sat out the last few games after hitting .180 over his previous 30 games and is even being booed by the faithful Cubs fans.
Things have looked better over the past few days. But I'll proceed with caution until Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong start hitting again.
That pair was integral to Chicago posting elite offensive numbers in April through June.
Conversely, they're arguably the two biggest reasons for the Cubs' offensive decline.
Brewers vs Cubs Betting Predictions
The Cubs are currently -150 favorites, and I just can't get there.
Are we underrating Priester? He's a legitimate strong pitcher. So is Imanaga, but there's a pretty wide divide between the Brewers and Cubs offensively.
I'm not letting the past couple of days change a month of results.
Milwaukee is the better team with a pitcher just as good as Imanaga.
I'll gladly roll with what I believe to be the best team in baseball at plus-money.
Brewers vs Cubs Best Bet
- Brewers ML (+110)
Brewers vs Cubs Betting Trends
For the latest on MLB injuries, be sure to check out our MLB Injury Report page.
