The Milwaukee Brewers opened the series with a 7-5 win and they’ll look to make it two in a row this evening vs. lefty Paul Maholm and the Chicago Cubs
Chris Narveson is 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs
Maholm struggled in his last Cactus League start but he pitched well enough to earn a spot in the Cubs rotation and tonight will be his Chicago debut.
In seven years with Pittsburgh, Maholm had a 3-8 record vs. the Brewers but in a lot of cases, that was from a lack of run support. His four most recent starts, Maholm held the Brew Crew to one home run and kept extra base hits to a minimum.
Milwaukee starter Chris Narveson is 6-1 in 13 appearances vs. Chicago (six starts), and he looked rough at the end of spring training as well but the lefty was 11-8 in 2011 and figures to reach double-digit wins again in 2012.
Online sportsbooks were hesitant on the total for this game with wind looking to play a factor, and the current MLB odds show Milwaukee -108 with a total of 8 Under (-108).
MAN BEHIND THE MASK
Gary Cederstrom is calling balls and strikes today, his second game behind home plate this season. Sports betting shops took the brunt of Cederstrom’s first game in Houston, where the road fave Rockies scored two late runs to slide the game over the total.
Today it’s lefty vs. lefty, a situation that has seen just 2 overs in the last 11 games for Cederstrom since 2010 and a 2-18 O/U (88-percent) record the past five seasons.
MLB PICKS
Maholm had a solid 6-2 record at Wrigley Field with Pittsburgh and the forecast calls for cool temperatures, which has proven to be a big help for pitchers through the first week. Cederstrom’s stats at Wrigley show 2 overs and 4 unders the last six games and with two lefties, we’re backing this game to stay below the number.
Pick: Take the Under
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