Jeff Benton
St. Louis at MILWAUKEE +110
An absolutely BRUTAL loss with Monday’s free pick on the Diamondbacks, who blew a 7-0 lead to the Padres and lost 9-7 in 10 innings. Talk about being on the right side and getting the wrong result. We’ll get back on track Tuesday, though, by taking the Brewers over the Cardinals.
I sort of understand why the Cardinals are a slight road favorite in this one, because they’ve got the perceived pitching advantage with Adam Wainwright against Jeff Suppan. However, it was just 10 days ago that these two right-handers squared off in St. Louis and Suppan got the better of it in a 1-0 victory. The Brewers’ veteran pitched seven scoreless innings to one-up Wainwright, who gave up just the one run and two hits in eight innings.
Also, with yesterday’s identical 1-0 Brewers home victory over the Cardinals in 10 innings, Milwaukee is now 14-3 in the last 17 meetings in this rivalry, including 5-1 in the last six battles in Wisconsin. Think that’s impressive? Get a load of what Suppan has done to St. Louis in recent years. He’s given up three earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts versus the Cardinals – including two when he was with Pittsburgh in 2003 – and Suppan’s teams won all eight games. That includes six straight Milwaukee wins with Suppan facing the Redbirds since the start of the 2007 campaign!
In his last seven outings against St. Louis, Suppan has given up just eight runs in 53 1/3 innings (1.35 ERA). That includes allowing one run in each of three starts at Miller Park (1.50 ERA), with the Brewers winning those games by scores of 5-3, 9-1 and 7-1.
Finally, check out what Milwaukee has been doing lately: 23-9 in its last 32 overall, 12-3 in its last 15 at home, 37-17 in its last 54 against divisional rivals, 12-4 in its last 16 against right-handed starters and 6-1 in Suppan’s last seven trips to the mound. Easy call here, folks. Take the plus money with the Brew Crew.
4♦ MILWAUKEE