Brewers at Cubs Preview: The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs begin a three-game weekend series on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. This is already the third meeting between these NL Central rivals this season, and there have been plenty of fireworks.
Milwaukee has gone 4-2 against Chicago in the first six games, and they are currently in first place in the NL Central. The Brewers just swept the San Diego Padres on the road and come in with an overall record of 11-7.
The Cubs just swept the New York Mets in a three-game series, and they will have plenty of momentum. Chicago is now back at the .500 mark at 9-9, and they still have the talent to compete for a playoff spot in 2021.
You can expect there to be some extra excitement and drama as there always is when these teams take the field.
Brewers at Cubs Preview and Pick: Brewers Need Early Lead
Some things never change, and the Milwaukee Brewers once again feature one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. Milwaukee is nearly impossible to beat if they get an early lead, but that could be an issue on Friday afternoon at Wrigley.
Brett Anderson makes the start for the Brewers, and he has had some problems against this Chicago Cubs lineup in the past. The veteran lefty is 2-1 with a 2.65 earned run average, but this could be a rough outing.
Milwaukee continues to be without former MVP, Christian Yelich, but it didn’t have any affect on the team in the series against the San Diego Padres. The Brewers did score just 13 total runs in that series, but they are capable of breaking out in a big way.
The Brewers are an extremely confident club, and they will be looking to continue their dominance over Chicago.
Brewers at Cubs Preview and Pick: Cubs Bats Waking Up
It was a miserable first 10 games for the Chicago Cubs, especially at the plate. The Cubs were putting up historically low batting average numbers, but those numbers have improved greatly over the last few games.
The Cubs are still hitting just .201 as a team this season, but they have now scored 70 runs on the year. Kris Bryant leads the team with a .283 batting average, and Javy Baez has5 home runs and 16 RBIs.
An even bigger issue for the Cubs this season has been the performance of Kyle Hendricks on the mound. The Cubs ace is 0-2 with a 6.92 earned run average, and the Cubs need him to have a dominant start in this game.
Chicago does feature bullpen that is capable of putting up big strikeout numbers, and closer Craig Kimbrel has been nearly unhittable. The pitching staff has carried this team as a whole, but the offense will get back on track.
Brewers at Cubs Preview and Pick: Hendricks Leads Cubs to Win
The Milwaukee Brewers have kept the Cubs’ bats quiet all season long, but Chicago has started to turn things around in the last week. Milwaukee is not sending a dominant starting pitcher to the mound, and it could be a long night for the pitching staff.
Kyle Hendricks has gotten off to a brutal start in 2021, but at some point he is going to figure things out. The Cubs are starting to spray the ball all over the ballpark, and this is going to be another big day for that offense.
Look for Hendricks to have his best outing of the season on Friday afternoon as he completely shuts down the Brewers attack in a seven-inning performance. The Cubs will continue to get better results at the plate, and Chicago will come away with a comfortable win in the series opener.
Final Score:
Chicago Cubs 6
Milwaukee Brewers 3
Join our Discord
to leave a question or comment regarding this article. We have sports fans talking betting all day — every day! JOIN THE DISCORD NOW AND QUALIFY FOR PRIZES & BETTING SWAG!
