Brewers vs Cubs Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Opening Day (Runs Hard to Come By at Wrigley Field)

Brewers vs. Cubs Game Info

• Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
• Time: 2:20 p.m. ET
• Venue: Wrigley Field -- Chicago, IL
• Coverage: BS-WIS and MSN

The 2023 MLB season kicks off with an Opening Day matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. These teams met head-to-head 19 times last season and the Cubs earned a win in 10 of those contests. Both of these squads enter the season with their eyes set on an NL Central title.

The Brewers will send their ace to the mound in Corbin Burnes (3.21 career ERA), while the Cubs will counter by having Marcus Stroman (1.15 WHIP in 2022) draw the start. The two pitchers are quite familiar with their opponent, so which team will start the new campaign with an exciting victory?

Brewers vs. Cubs Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIL: (-148) | CHC: (+126)
• Spread: MIL:-11.5 (+116) | CHC: +1.5 (-140)
• Total: 7.5 -- Over: (-102) | Under: (-120)

The Brewers enter this divisional matchup as road favorites on the spread and moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This game also has a projected total of 7.5 runs, which is about average for Thursday's games.

Brewers vs. Cubs Betting Trends

• Milwaukee is 1-4 straight up in its last five away games against the Cubs.
• The total has hit the under in four of Milwaukee's last five away games.
• The Cubs are 6-0 straight up in their last six home games.
• The total has hit the over in five of the Cubs' last six games in March.

Brewers vs. Cubs Prediction & Pick

The Brewers may have finished with a winning record last year (86-76), but the season was still a disappointment considering they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017. A core built with strong pitching and clutch hitting will be looking to get back to the postseason with a big summer.

Chicago finds itself in a similar position as Milwaukee. The Cubs had made the playoffs five times between 2015 & 2020, but have now missed out on October baseball for two straight years. The front office took note and added veteran players like Dansby Swanson, Trey Mancini and Jameson Taillon.

None of that matters when Corbin Burnes is on the mound, though. Burnes has torched Chicago time and time again in his Brewers career, posting a 0.98 WHIP and 3.16 ERA across 14 appearances (8 starts). His ability to strike out any batter put in his way will be on full display in a low-scoring victory.

Final Score Prediction: Brewers: 4 | Cubs: 2

Brewers vs. Cubs Best Bet

The temperature in Chicago on Thursday afternoon is expected to be right around 50 degrees with winds reaching up to 13 mph. It's not nasty weather, but it's not "perfect" baseball weather, either. Batters are going to need to shake off some rust and are facing two reliable pitchers. Backing the under worth a shot considering it has cashed in 11 of Milwaukee's last 14 games against an NL foe.

Bet: Under 7.5 Total Runs (-120)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.