The Milwaukee Brewers will try and put a crimp into the St. Louis Cardinals’ division title plans when the two NL Central foes kick off a three-game series at Busch Stadium this Tuesday night. Game 1 is set to get underway at 8:15 p.m. (ET), and it will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

Milwaukee took two of three from the Cubs this past weekend on the road to improve to 4-6 in its last 10 games. The Brewers are now 62-80 overall with a 31-40 record both at and away from home. The total has stayed “under” in three of their last five games.

The Cardinals are getting hot at just the right time. After losing three of four to Cincinnati last week on the road, they returned home to pull off a three-game sweep over Pittsburgh this past weekend to open up a 1.5 game lead over both of these NL Central rivals. St. Louis is 83-60 overall and 44-25 at home.

Brewers at Cardinals Betting Storylines

The Brewers remain ranked near the top of the National League in hitting with a team batting average of .254, but this has not always translated to runs across home plate with an average of 3.95 a game, which is ranked ninth in the NL. The loss of Ryan Braun has not helped their cause, but Jonathan Lucroy has remained productive with a team-high 77 RBI while Carlos Gomez has banged out 19 home runs.

Milwaukee is ranked 10th in the NL in pitching with a 3.95 team ERA. It will go with Wily Peralta as its starter for Tuesday night. The right-hander is 9-14 this season with an ERA of 4.51. His last time out he held the Pirates to three runs on nine hits in six innings of work to earn the win. In two previous starts against the Cardinals, he is 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA.

St. Louis is still in a dog fight for the division title. However, barring any kind of late-season collapse, it remains in solid position for the playoffs in terms of the wild card race. The bats were clicking this past weekend with a total of 26 runs in three games as the Cardinals’ lineup continues lead the NL in scoring with an average of 4.81 runs a game. Allen Craig has accounted for 97 RBI, and Carlos Beltran leads the team in home runs with 23.

The Cardinals have also been one of the better teams in the league on the mound with a team ERA of 3.53. Shelby Miller is slated to get the start for this game. He comes in with 12-9 record on the year and an overall ERA of 3.19. The right-hander failed to get the decision against Cincinnati in his last start after holding the Reds to three earned runs on six hits. Shelby has already had his fair share of success against the Brewers this season as a rookie with a 2-0 record and impressive 1.47 ERA in three previous starts.

Brewers at Cardinals MLB Betting Odds and Trends

BetOnline has opened the Brewers as +180 road underdogs for Tuesday night’s series opener with St. Louis listed as a -190 home favorite. The total has been set at 8.

The Brewers are 6-4 in their last 10 games against the NL Central and 5-2 in their last seven games on the road. The total has stayed under in three of their last four road games.

The Cardinals are 8-2 in their last 10 home games and 5-3 in their last eight games against a division opponent. The total has gone “over” in seven of their last 11 games.

Head-to-head, St. Louis holds a 10-3 edge in the season series overall, and it is 4-2 against Milwaukee at home. The total has gone over in five of the last six meetings.

Baseball Picks: Brewers at Cardinals Predictions

The Brewers would love to play the role of spoiler with a win on Tuesday night, but they are outmatched across the board, especially with MIller on the mound. He has pitched lights out against Milwaukee all season long and continues his winning ways with another strong showing in this contest. He should also benefit by some continued run support as the Cardinals stay on a roll at home with a fourth straight win.

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