Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Odds, Line, Picks and Prediction - May 30th | 2022 MLB Season
The Chicago Cubs will host the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday in their series opener, the first game of a day-night doubleheader. The Cubs split two games with their cross-town rivals, the White Sox, while the Brewers avoided a sweep on Sunday with an 8-0 victory over the Cardinals.
The season series is split at three games apiece. However, the Brewers currently lead the central and hold an 11-game lead over Chicago entering Monday. The Cubs will tab Matt Swarmer, who will be making his major league debut.
Swarmer has a 2.08 ERA in Triple-A over five starts and four relief appearances. He'll have a tough lineup to face in his first career start, as Milwaukee averages 4.5 runs per contest and are third in the league with 64 home runs. Rowdy Tellez, meanwhile, launched his team-leading tenth dinger of the year Sunday off Miles Mikolas, one of three long balls for his club on the day.
RHP Matt Swarmer will make his MLB debut tomorrow, getting the Game 1 start for the #Cubs.
"RHP Matt Swarmer will make his MLB debut tomorrow, getting the Game 1 start for the #Cubs." - Meghan Montemurro
The Brewers will go with lefty Ethan Small, who will also be making his first MLB start Monday. This season, the southpaw has been tremendous down in Triple-A Nashville, posting a 1.88 ERA over nine starts.
He has had some command issues in the minors, but he has an arsenal that induces a lot of swing and miss. The Cubs' lineup that he'll be matched up with averages 4.4 runs, but against Milwaukee, they only managed four runs in their three-game series that concluded at the beginning of May.
Look for the Brewers to rely on their strong bullpen early if Small gets into trouble, even with the doubleheader.
Left-hander Ethan Small is being called up by the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN. Small, 25, had a 1.88 ERA at AAA this year and since being drafted in 2019 has a 1.78 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 136.2 innings. Could be very important this year with Freddy Peralta’s injury.
"Left-hander Ethan Small is being called up by the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN." - Jeff Passan
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs.
Date & Time: Monday, May 30; 1:05 PM EDT.
Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL.
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Betting Odds
The Brewers have won seven of their last nine matchups at Wrigley Field, and they've taken 18 of their previous 24 overall against their division rivals. Also, the Cubs have won just four of their last 14 in the first game of a doubleheader, and that could be the case again on Monday.
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Best Picks
Ian Happ has been great against lefties this year, and with Ethan Small making his debut, Happ, who has a .944 OPS in opposite-handed matchups, has a good chance to break out of his mini-slump on Monday.
Pick: Ian Happ Total Bases Over 1.5 (+133)
Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Betting Prediction
It's rare to see two pitchers making their major league debuts opposing one another, but the combination of injuries and a jam-packed schedule has made it possible.
The Brew Crew has dominated the Cubbies recently. Even though they're flying from St. Louis and have the travel disadvantage, they should be able to beat a Chicago team that has disappointed in front of the Wrigley faithful this year, sporting a disappointing 7-15 home record on the year.
The Cubs' awful home record ranks second-worst in the MLB, and with several injuries to their regulars, expect them to drop another one in the opener.
Prediction: Brewers ML (-115) & 1st Inning Runs Under 0.5 (-107).