Colin Rea will get the start for the Brewers (90-69, 47-31 home) as they host the Cubs (82-77, 37-41 away) at American Family Field. The Cubs will give the starting nod to Kyle Hendricks. Check out my prediction for game one of this NL Central matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.

CHICAGO CUBS VS MILWAUKEE BREWERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Cubs -116

This game will be played at American Family Field at 8:10 ET on Friday, September 29th.

WHY BET THE CHICAGO CUBS:

  • The Cubs will be taking on a Brewers club that is just 2-3 over their last five games.
  • In their three most recent games as the favorite, the Cubs are 3-0.
  • For the season, the Cubs have gone 12-11 with Kyle Hendricks on the mound as the starter.

CHICAGO CUBS HAVE BEEN GOOD AGAINST THE NL CENTRAL

On a record of 82-77, the Cubs come into today’s game 2nd in the NL Central. When playing at home, they are 45-36 and 37-41 on the road. Chicago has played in 49 series thus far, and have gone 26-18-5.

Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for the Cubs with a 6-8 record. He has made 23 appearances this season, boasting an ERA of 3.66 and a K/9 rate of 6.17. Additionally, his FIP is 3.79 and his OBP is .279.

In his last outing, Kyle Hendricks was handed the loss in the 8-6 defeat to the Pirates after allowing three runs over six innings.

For the season, the Cubs are 7th in batting average, hitting a combined .255. Over their last ten games, they have hit .264 which is 5th in that span. Chicago’s average of 5.1 runs per game puts them 6th in the league. In terms of home runs, they have gone deep 191 times and have a team slugging percentage of .420.

Mike Tauchman has been a key contributor to the Cubs’ offense this season, having hit eight home runs and boasting a .252 batting average. He has been especially productive in their last five games, leading the team with one long ball.

WILL THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

For the season, the Brewers are 90-69 overall, including going 43-38 on the road and 47-31 at home. When looking at their overall series record, Milwaukee is above .500 at 28-20-1. In the NL Central, the Brewers are currently 1st.

Milwaukee’s Colin Rea has posted a 6-6 record and 4.74 ERA to this point in the season. When pitching away from home, Rea’s ERA stands at 4.40, but it jumps to 5.65 when he takes the mound at Miller Park. His WHIP is 1.22 and opponents are batting .233 against him with a slugging percentage of .431.

Colin Rea had a difficult performance in his most recent start, surrendering no runs over the course of one inning. Unfortunately, Rea was not able to contribute to the Brewers’ cause as they fell to the Cardinals 4-1.

The Brewers’ offense comes into today’s game with a collective batting average of .239 and are averaging 4.5 runs per game for the season. Looking at their five most recent games, Milwaukee has gone deep one time, which is ranked 11th in that time. To date, the team’s OPS is .704 to go along with an on base percentage of .319.

Willy Adames has been a major contributor to the Brewers’ offensive success this season, leading the team with 24 home runs and 78 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .401 is indicative of his power at the plate.