Cardinals vs. Brewers Game 3 preview: predictions, odds and expert picks for Sept. 4, 2024

On Wednesday, the Brewers and the Cardinals will meet in Milwaukee for Game 3 of their final series of the season. Although St. Louis is all but eliminated from postseason contention, the opportunity exists for manager Oli Marmol's team to play spoiler to the NL Central leaders.

After losing the first game of the series, the Cardinals stormed ahead in the 10th inning on Tuesday to win the game 7-4 in their 12th inning. However, of the 12 meetings between these two NL Central teams this year, the Brewers have emerged victorious eight times.

"Imagine losing the under 8 in Cardinals-Brewers this way" - Action Network

Cardinals vs Brewers recent form and records

Now 81-58, the Brewers lead the NL Central by a comfortable margin. The Cards, 71-68, are behind the Chicago Cubs, sitting third in the division. Over their past 10 games, both teams have played to 6-4 records.

The Cardinals are fresh off a surprising series win in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. Meanwhile, the Brewers recently took three out of four from the Reds, another member of the division.

Cardinals vs Brewers key players to watch out for

Starting Pitchers

STL: Sonny Gray (12-9 3.96 ERA) vs MIL: Colin Rea (12-4, 3.70 ERA)

Gray has a 1.10 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 179 K in 147.2 IP.

Last Start: Win, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K vs SD

Career vs MIL: 4-5, 3.31 ERA (81.2 IP, 30 ER) 8 HR in 15 starts

"Sonny Gray, K'ing the Side with Sweepers in the 1st." - Pitching Ninja

Rea has a 1.16 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 118 K in 146 IP.

Last Start: W 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K vs CIN

Career vs STL: 1-3, 4.35 ERA (31 IP, 15 ER) 6 HR in 8 starts

Key Hitters

2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt has been on a tear. A .404/.436/.673 hitter over the past two weeks, the first baseman has also recorded two home runs and nine RBIs in that time.

Lars Nootbaar has also been coming alive in the past two weeks. Since the end of July, the youthful outfielder has logged 10 RBIs, the most on his team.

Finally, Luken Baker is another member of the St. Louis Cardinals to keep an eye on. Over his past four games, Baker has a home run and five RBIs, contributing to his 1.152 OPS in that period.

For Milwaukee, outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been making an impact. Not only does Mitchell have two home runs and three RBIs in the past week, but his three stolen bases have led the team in that period of time.

Rookie Jackson Chourio's .280 batting figure is the highest on the Milwaukee Brewers. Now with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs on the season, Chourio is a career .303 hitter with 10 RBIs in 11 career games against St. Louis.

"Tie ballgame in Milwaukee! Jackson Chourio has gone deep in back-to-back games" - MLB

Brice Turang is also a constant speed threat for Milwaukee. The infielder's 40 steals rank third in MLB, with eight coming within the last 30 days.

Cardinals vs Brewers baseball betting odds

Wednesday 4/9	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
St. Louis Cardinals	-110	-1.5 +155	O 8.5 -105
Milwaukee Brewers	-110	+1.5 -190	U 8.5 -115

Cardinals vs Brewers expert picks and prediction

The money line odds are even, suggesting that bookmakers believe that there are even odds of either team winning. This might be due to the fact that although the Brewers have a considerably better record, the Cards have fared well against some of MLB's top teams lately.

Additionally, Sonny Gray has pitched better this season than Colin Rea and has performed well against Milwaukee in his career. For this reason, it may be logical to anticipate a Cardinals win.

Run Line: +1.5 -190

Over/Under: Under 8.5

Prediction: St. Louis W, 4-3