Brewers vs Cubs: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks

The two teams at the top of the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs, lock horns on Tuesday, for the first of three games set to take place at Wrigley Field. Chicago is No. 1 with a 44-28 record, while the Brewers are at No. 2 with a 39-34 record.

Let's take a look at the odds for the fixture, and how the action might pan out on the diamond.

Brewers vs Cubs prediction

Taking the mound for the Brewers is young Chad Patrick, who has been quite good up to this point, with a 3-6 record, along with a 3.25 ERA and 71 total strikeouts.

Atlanta Braves v Milwaukee Brewers (Credits: Getty)

With the bat, Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Christian Yelich and Brice Turang have been the players to watch for the Brewers.

For the hosts, Ben Brown makes his latest start. On paper, Brown has fared much worse than his counterpart so far, with a 3-5 record, along with a 5.71 ERA and 83 total strikeouts.

Offensively, Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner have enjoyed plenty of success off late.

Though the pitching matchup leans in the visitors' favor, the hosts have been so strong at Wrigley Field, and should get another win under their belt on Tuesday.

Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers 4, Chicago Cubs 5

Odds

Money Line: Milwaukee Brewers +131, Chicago Cubs -144

Run Line: Brewers +1.5 (-156), Chicago -1.5 (+117)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-133), Under 8.5 (+100)

Injury report

Brewers injuries:

Garrett Mitchell: 10-day IL (Oblique)
Robert Gasser: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Nestor Cortes: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Blake Perkins: 60-day IL (Shin)
Brandon Woodruff: 60-day IL (Shoulder)
Connor Thomas: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Chicago injuries:

Miguel Amaya: 10-day IL (Oblique)
Shota Imanaga: 15-day IL (Leg)
Porter Hodge: 15-day IL (Oblique)
Justin Steele: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Javier Assad: 60-day IL (Oblique)
Eli Morgan: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Expert's picks

Chicago is one of the most consistent teams in all the majors this season, especially at home, and should pick up another hard-fought victory on Tuesday.

Money Line: Chicago Cubs -154

Run Line: Brewers +1.5 (-156)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-133)

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25

Brewers vs Cubs: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks - June 17, 2025