Stroman Has Value Against Brewers

Cubs vs. Brewers, 2:10 ET

I’m rewatching a ton of shows from childhood. Not really because I like them all that much, just because I like to have some sort of noise on in the background while I work. There is something comforting about watching something you’ve seen. Today, I’m focused in on someone I’ve seen a lot this season, Marcus Stroman. The Cubs take on the Brewers and this is a matchup we’ve become familiar with and that provides me with some comfort that it will work out for us.

If you live in Chicago, you know what is going on with the Cubs. For those that aren’t in tune with the Chicago media or agenda, let me share a bit of insight for you. Half of the fans/media are saying that the team should sell off every pending free agent (including Stroman who still has another year left). The other half of the group is saying they can still turn it around considering they aren’t that far back in the division and none of the teams are that good. If you look into certain stats, it suggests that the Cubs record is worse than the team actually is, but sadly, that doesn’t matter. Those same stats suggest the Reds and Brewers record is better than they should be. Again, your record is your reality. And, right now, the Cubs are under .500. This could be another audition for other teams as Stroman takes the hill today. Stroman has been awesome this season but is coming off one of his worst starts of the season. He’s been solid on the road this year and was awesome against the Brewers in his one start against them to open the season.

I mentioned that the Brewers are supposedly worse than their statistics suggest. One report I read said they are about eight games better. Part of that comes down to timely hitting. The Brewers are getting the hits they need when they need them. They aren’t an offensive juggernaut but they get timely hits. The pitching isn’t quite as good as it has been in the past few years, but they still have some very solid pitchers on their staff. It will be interesting to see if they can keep this up all season. Today is the main focus though, and today, they have Freddy Peralta on the mound. He has struggled a bit this season on the way to a 4.67 ERA. He has been better at home than he has on the road, posting almost a full run lower than the overall ERA. He was reasonably consistent over the month of June, going roughly five innings in each start and allowing two or three earned runs in each game. Cubs hitters aren’t great against him going just 15 for 85.

I like the Cubs in this game. I keep seeing opportunities to take Stroman at very reasonable prices. Stroman has been very good with not allowing runs in his starts and Peralta has allowed runs in most of his. I’ll take the Cubs first five at -110.

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