The Milwaukee Brewers (77-44) rallied from down seven runs in yesterday’s outing against the Cincinnati Reds (64-59) to pull off one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory. Tonight’s second game of the series brings high stakes with the NL Central rivalry angle, but there’s more on the line for Milwaukee as they look to set a new franchise record as well.
Here’s a Reds vs. Brewers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday afternoon.
Reds vs. Brewers prediction, preview
The Reds are 14-12 since the All-Star Game and have produced largely a middle-of-the-pack offense over that span. They’re 12th in scoring with 121 runs and they’re hitting for average well with a .251 mark, seventh-best in baseball. A .323 OBP also ranks seventh, but they’re not tallying extra bases often or hitting homers with the second worst slugging mark over the same sample. Small-ball may work for now, but their .687 OPS leaves much to be desired as Cincinnati tries to push their way up the division and Wild Card standings. They’re currently just half a game back of the latter, so they’re in the running for certain.
However, the Brewers are hands down the MLB’s best team right now. Milwaukee just won their 13th consecutive game last night, tying the franchise’s longest-ever winning streak. Their 173 runs in their last 25 games are nearly 20 more than the next-closest team, and they’re scoring nearly seven per contest. The Brewers rank first in all three slash line stats — as a team, their line reads .305/.368/.499 since the ASG. Those are absurd numbers for a whole batting order, and the Brew Crew boast 37 home runs over that sample too, the seventh-most. Even if their pitching staff didn’t rank third in ERA, they’d still keep winning games behind this offensive onslaught.
Reds vs. Brewers pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Brewers as -125 Moneyline favorites in Saturday’s game. The Reds come in at +103 on the Moneyline with the run total set at nine.
Quinn Priester (3.49 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 95 SO) starts for Milwaukee this evening with an impressive 11-2 record in 22 starts. He takes on Cincinnati’s Zack Littell (3.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 100 SO) who’s gone 9-8 over 24 outings this year.
Littell’s numbers are solid for sure, but he’s overperforming his xERA and xBA by a significant margin this season per Baseball Savant. He also doesn’t throw hard, nor does he limit hard-hit balls very well. The Brewers are shelling pitchers at the moment regardless of the hurler’s prowess, and with history on the line in this contest, I have a feeling they’ll get up and rise to the occasion. This lineup just keeps firing night in and night out, and since they’re putting such good contact on the ball, I expect them to get the better of Littell and cruise to a record-breaking 14th-straight win.
Best bet: MIL Brewers ML (-125)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
