Cardinals at Brewers 3/29/19 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The St. Louis Cardinals will play the second game of their 2019 regular season Friday on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals are expected to compete for the National League Central title after re-signing first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The Cardinals will have a strong middle of the order with Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter Marcell Ozuna and Yadier Molina, while the pitching rotation features Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright.

Milwaukee is expected to be the team to beat in the NL Central with NL MVP Christian Yelich returning, Mike Moustakas re-signing and catcher Yasmani Grandal added to the lineup. Third baseman Travis Shaw will be a key to the run productions if he can continue hitting homers like the last two seasons. The pitching rotation will feature Jhoulys Chacin, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta. Last season Jose Martinez led the Cardinals in batting with an average of .305, but his time will be reduced with the addition of Paul Goldschmidt, although Martinez will rotate in the outfield. Matt Carpenter led the Cardinals in home runs with 36 and will anchor the hot corner at third, while Marcell Ozuna was the team leader in RBIs with 88. On Friday, the Cardinals will send Jack Flaherty to the mound. Last season, Flaherty was 8-9 with an ERA of 3.34, 182 Ks and 59 BBs.

Christian Yelich led the Brewers last season in batting average at .326, home runs with 36 and RBIs with 110. Lorenzo Cain was the second leading hitter at .308, while five players including Yelich and Cain hit 23 or more home runs. Milwaukee will send Freddy Peralta to the mound. Last season, Peralta was 6-4 with an ERA of 4.25, 96 Ks and 40 BBs.