Brewers vs. Cubs: Picks, predictions, how to watch Saturday’s game

The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs square off on Saturday with first pitch set for 2:20 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. and will be available to watch on FS1. Freddy Peralta will get the start for Milwaukee while Marcus Stroman will be on the bump for the Cubs.

The Brewers (63-55) wound up on the short end of a back-and-forth contest Friday that featured five home runs. Andrew McCutchen, Rowdy Tellez and Hunter Renfroe all went deep for the Brew Crew. McCutchen now has three homers in his past two games after hitting only two in 27 games prior to that. Peralta returned on Aug. 3 after missing more than two months due to injury. In three starts since coming back, he has posted a 3.55 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He didn’t go beyond five innings in any of those outings.

The Cubs (51-67) are still showing some fight as we wind into the dog days of a lost season. They have won four games in a row and 17 of their past 27. Willson Contreras and Ian Happ, two sought-after bats that the Cubs decided not to deal at the trade deadline, have combined for eight homers, 15 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs across 16 games since Aug. 4. Stroman has given up 11 runs (seven earned) and four dingers through 16.1 innings pitched this month.

Brewers vs. Cubs

Pitchers: Freddy Peralta vs. Marcus Stroman
First pitch: 2:20 p.m. ET
Brewers local broadcast: Bally Sports Wisconsin
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Live stream: FS1, FOX Sports App

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Brewers -1.5 (+130)
Run total: 9
Moneyline odds: Brewers -125, Cubs +105

Moneyline pick: Cubs +105

This is a pretty even pitching matchup considering that Peralta has taken a pretty clear step back from his 2021 All-Star campaign. The Cubs’ hot bats should get to him enough to pull out a victory. Just don’t expect another home run bonanza; the wind is supposed to be blowing in today at Wrigley, and showers are in the forecast. There’s a doubleheader scheduled between NL East rivals, the Mets and Phillies,

Player prop pick: Freddy Peralta UNDER 5.5 strikeouts (+115)

Peralta hasn’t struck out more than four batters in any of his last three starts. The Cubs do tend to whiff a lot, but Peralta’s stuff just isn’t as electric this season compared to last. It’s possible that the shoulder strain he suffered in May has made him a different pitcher for the rest of ‘22.

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