Brew Crew And Fish Will Light Up Scoreboard

Brewers vs. Marlins, 6:40 ET

It wasn't a good weekend. It seemed like everything I played had some sort of issue that resulted in me taking a loss. On Saturday, I took the Cubs run line over five innings, and the game ended 1-0 with the Cubs scoring the only run in the ninth. Later on in the day, I played the under between the Tigers and Diamondbacks. If I had taken the under through five, I would've won. Normally I do that and for whatever reason, I didn't. Then yesterday, the only thing that saved me was a listed pitcher didn't play so my bet was nullified, but I'm sure others out there took the bet regardless of starters. So, call it what it was, an 0-3 weekend. Now I am looking for my revenge as the Brewers take on the Marlins. 

At the beginning of the season, I saw that the Brewers were listed as something like the third-best team in the division - in terms of betting odds for who would win the division. I don't really do well with baseball futures for whatever reason, but this one seemed like a bet too good that I couldn't pass up. I still think the Brewers have a good chance to win the division. They are 27-19 right now and doing a lot of good things despite losing their ace, closer, and manager within the past calendar year. The Brewers offense has been great so far with a .258 batting average and averaging over five runs scored per game. The pitching staff has taken a bit of a step back this season, but they are still solid with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. It does feel like the Brewers pitching staff should be worse with a WHIP that high. Tonight, they send out Joe Ross to take on the Fish. Ross has been solid for the club, but as you'd probably expect if you're familiar with his work, he is more of a backend starter. This has been a decent month though as he has made three starts and allowed just six earned runs over 16 innings. He has made two very poor starts, but both occurred at home. On the road, he has a 2.78 ERA compared to a 6.87 ERA at home. There are only three hitters with any experience against Ross, but they are 4-for-9 against him. 

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 08: Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers up to bat against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on July 08, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

The Marlins haven't had many reasons to be excited this season as they sit with a 15-33 record, but they should be happy that they've won four of their past five games. There isn't much that the team has done this season that is overly impressive. They already traded away one of their best players, meaning they are likely waiving the white flag after a small portion of their season. Remember they were a Wild Card winner last year. I am kind of shocked at how drastically the team has fallen off the face of the Earth this season. The team isn't scoring a lot of runs, which isn't surprising when given their record, but they are hitting fairly decent with a .231 team batting average. The problem is their On Base Percentage is just .286. The pitching staff has struggled quite a bit with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Opponents are also hitting .258 against the club. One somewhat bright spot for the team and rotation is today's starter, Ryan Weathers. Weathers has a 3.81 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, and is coming off of his best start of the season. He isn't typically flawless (though he was excellent against the Tigers in his last start, going eight scoreless innings and allowing just three hits). The Marlins starter has allowed three or more earned runs in five of his nine outings. He should have the edge over the Brewers the first time through as he has only faced Willy Adames (1-for-2 with a double). 

This is a tougher game to evaluate than first glance. Ross is probably the worse of the two pitchers, but the Brewers offense is almost certainly better. The Marlins offense isn't ideal, but they may be able to get to Ross. I find it hard to believe that Weathers will replicate his performance from last week, but I suppose it is possible. I will play the over for the game as I think both pitchers will allow runs. I do lean toward the Marlins winning this one as well, but might be safer to play the first five game instead of full game. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024