The St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers will wrap up the latest chapter of their NL Central rivalry at American Family Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Brewers won their home opener 5-1 over the Cards on Thursday but have since lost two straight to St. Louis to fall to 4-5 on the season. Meanwhile, the Redbirds improved to 5-2 on the young campaign after beating Milwaukee 2-1 last night.
Will the Brew Crew salvage a split in this series? Find out in our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Cardinals vs Brewers on Sunday, April 17.
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Cardinals vs Brewers odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Brewers opened as consensus -116 favorites, and money has poured in on them since. Milwaukee is no better than -130 at any major sportsbook at this writing and is as low as -142.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Cardinals vs Brewers predictions
Picks made on 4/17/2022 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cardinals vs Brewers game info
• Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
• Date: Sunday, April 17, 2022
• First pitch: 2:10 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN+, Bally Sports
Cardinals vs Brewers betting preview
Starting pitchers
Dakota Hudson (0-0, 6.75 ERA): After missing part of 2020 and the vast majority of 2021 due to Tommy John surgery, Hudson is hoping to recapture his 2019 form that saw him go 16-7 with a 3.35 ERA. But his initial outing of 2022 was alarming, as he allowed three runs in just four innings of work against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.
Hudson has been effective when healthy, but stamina has always been a concern. The Tennessee native has averaged a modest 4.37 innings per start in his MLB career.
Aaron Ashby (0-1, 1.80 ERA): After making his first two appearances of 2022 in relief, Ashby will make his first start of the season on Sunday.
Ashby went 3-2 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 31 2-3 innings as a swingman with the Brewers last year. He’s allowed eight runners to reach base through five innings of work this season.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cardinals: None.
Brewers: Luis Urias 2B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 9-0 in their last nine road games against left-handed starters. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Brewers.
Cardinals vs Brewers picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Cardinals’ prowess against lefties gives them a significant advantage on Sunday as they take on Aaron Ashby.
No team has a higher OPS (1.118) against southpaws at this point in 2022 than St. Louis. Third baseman Nolan Arenado has dealt the most damage to lefties of anyone in the Cards lineup, going 3-for-6 with three home runs and six RBI. It’s been part of an incredible start to the year for the six-time All-Star, as he sports a 1.538 OPS through his first 26 at-bats.
Close behind Arenado is second baseman Tommy Edman, who’s batting .348 to begin the year with three home runs. He has four hits in his first six at-bats against lefties.
The Redbirds are in a good spot if you’re a trend player, as they’re 14-2 in their last 16 games against left-handed starters, and 8-2 in their last 10 games as a road underdog.
The biggest risk for St. Louis is starter Dakota Hudson, who is not an overpowering arm (career K/9 of 6.95) and is still working his way back from a lengthy absence due to Tommy John surgery.
However, the Brewers offense is off to a putrid start to the season with a .210 batting average and .287 on-base percentage, both bottom-10 marks in baseball. Their five home runs are tied for second-fewest in MLB to start the year, with only the Baltimore Orioles hitting fewer.
While Hudson and his propensity to pitch to contact could be the cure for what ails them, the Cardinals bullpen has limited opponents to a 1.88 ERA (third in the majors) and should be well-rested, as no relief corps has been used more sparingly (28 2-3 innings total) so far this season. At plus money, let's take the Cards on the road.
Prediction: Cardinals ML (+125 at WynnBet)
Over/Under analysis
Hudson will try to keep the ball in the park when he battles the Brewers’ batters as all three runs he surrendered to the Royals last Tuesday came via the long ball. Fortunately for Hudson, Milwaukee has only five home runs all season, the second-lowest mark in the majors. It’s just part of the reason why the Brew Crew is currently 28th in runs per game (2.78).
Once Hudson is out, a solid and rested St. Louis relief corps will take over.
Not to be outdone, the Brewers bullpen boasts Josh Hader and Devin Williams at its back end. This unit has authored a 2.95 ERA since Opening Day, the eighth-best mark in baseball.
It will be imperative that the Cards do not squander any scoring chances against the left-handed Ashby as runs could be at a premium this afternoon.
Prediction: Under 8.5 (+100 at DraftKings)
Best bet
The Cardinals offense has been red-hot (5.43 runs per game, fourth in MLB), while the Brewers' bats have been ice-cold. St. Louis also appears to have the edge in the starting pitching matchup. Ashby has great strikeout potential, but he has been prone to the free pass, which could have Milwaukee tapping into its relievers earlier than expected.
Milwaukee may boast the better one-two punch at the end of its bullpen, but St. Louis has arguably the better depth for those late innings.
Even the trends are in favor of the Redbirds, yet they’re available at a great price as road underdogs. Bettors shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Pick: Cardinals ML (+125 at WynnBet)
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