Burnes, Stroman Take To The Bump
The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs will be dueling Thursday for Opening Day. In case you weren’t tracking the MLB news, we had an exhibition preview as the teams met in Spring Training.
The Milwaukee came out on top by three runs but obviously, the dynamics will now change. With Corbin Burnes set to face Marcus Stroman, which team is the best bet to win on Opening Day?
Brewers Placing Their Faith in Burnes
The Brewers are going to be riding Burnes despite a poor Spring Training for him. Burnes appeared in five games, racking up one win.
Those who bet online saw him pitch 19.0 innings, allowing 10 runs and 23 hits, including two home runs. He did strike out 16.
If the Brewers hope to be a factor on the MLB odds this season, he needs to pitch better. He now gets an opportunity to turn his play up when it matters most, the official start to the season.
He pitched 19.0 innings against the Cubs during the 2022 season without earning a win. However, he did post a 2.37 ERA.
We’ll see if Chicago gets to him after a rough Spring Training. If you’re betting on this game in the sportsbook, be careful putting too much faith in Burnes until we see better.
Cubs Rolling Out Stroman
Chicago has announced their Opening Day starter as well, giving Stroman the nod. He has had a far better Spring Training stretch in comparison to Burnes, though he has thrown fewer innings.
Stroman appeared in three games with two wins across 10.0 innings pitched. In those innings, he allowed nine hits and one run. He struck out 10.
If you’re making your sports bets here, remember that Stroman didn’t pitch well at home last season. When playing at Wrigley Field, Stroman had a 5.18 ERA with a 3-5 record across 64.1 innings.
On the road, his numbers improved to a 2.06 ERA and a 3-2 record in 74.1 innings. With a home game to start the season, Stroman has the perfect opportunity to do better in front of the Wrigley faithful.
Brewers vs Cubs Game Injuries
Brewers vs Cubs Head-to-Head
These squads met up once in Spring Training with the Brewers coming away with a 5-3 win in that contest.
Brewers vs Cubs Game Information
- Game: Brewers (0-0) Cubs (0-0)
- Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 30, 2:20 p.m. ET
- Brewers vs Cubs Live stream: MLB.tv
Brewers vs Cubs Betting Lines
Brewers vs Cubs Picks and Prediction
The Brewers are favored here as Burnes is viewed as the better of the pitchers. However, over might be the best play in this spot.
The reality is that the Brewers have to be a little concerned with Burnes’ Spring performances while Stroman hasn’t pitched well at home in a while. That makes it hard to choose a side for your MLB picks.
However, given what we just went over, it might suggest that we’ll see runs in this game. That should make the over a good bet.
Milwaukee is listed at-140 in our MLB lines. So, if you wager $100 on the Brewers, there’s a chance to win $71. Chicago is+125 with a chance to win $125 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Brewers a 58.33% chance to win, with the Cubs at 44.44%.
Brewers vs Cubs Trends
Brewers vs Cubs Edge
Brewers vs Cubs Results
Brewers vs Cubs Game Summary
