MLB · Thu, Jul 9 · 7:45 PM

Brewers at Cardinals

O/U 8.5 · RL Brewers -1.5 · Busch Stadium

Gary's pick

Brewers ML-134

CONF 85%

Result

WCashedFinal 8-4

The read

Busch Stadium is baking under a thick blanket of 91°F heat tonight as the Milwaukee Brewers roll into St. Louis to face their division rivals under overcast skies with the wind blowing out toward right field. It is a sticky, high-carry evening that could make for some fireworks, but when you look closely at the pitching matchups and bullpen depth, the value is clearly sitting with the road team.

First, let's talk about the pitching matchup. St. Louis is trotting out Andre Pallante, who has really struggled on his home bump this season with a 4.47 home ERA compared to his stellar 2.33 ERA on the road. The Brewers' hitters have absolutely owned Pallante in their careers. Jackson Chourio is hitting .600 against him with three hits and five walks in just five official at-bats, good for a massive 1.727 OPS. Brice Turang is hitting .385 in thirteen at-bats, and Garrett Mitchell is hitting .400. Once these speedsters get on base, they can run at will because Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera is a massive defensive liability, going 0-for-20 on caught-stealing attempts this season with a bottom-tier 2.05-second pop time. On the other side, Milwaukee starter Logan Henderson is returning from a six-week IL stint with a 2.74 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. While his extreme fly-ball profile (0.20 GO/AO) is a bit nerve-wracking in this heat, he is uniquely suited to neutralize this St. Louis lineup. Henderson holding left-handed hitters to a .183 average and .534 OPS this year aligns perfectly against a Cardinals lineup featuring five left-handed starters.

The real separator tonight, however, is the state of the two bullpens. Thanks to Milwaukee’s starters eating up massive frames in yesterday’s doubleheader, their elite back-end relief arms are completely rested. Closer Trevor Megill, with his 14 saves and 3.00 ERA, and setup man Abner Uribe (2.70 ERA) haven't pitched in two days and are fully fresh. Contrast that with a taxed St. Louis bullpen where primary setup man JoJo Romero (3.89 ERA) is coming off back-to-back appearances where he threw 36 pitches, closer Riley O'Brien (22 SV, 3.62 ERA) worked yesterday, and Ryne Stanek (4.93 ERA) is day-to-day with a fresh ankle injury. If Milwaukee knocks Pallante out early—which history suggests they can—they can coast behind a rested, elite bullpen. At -134, the Brewers are a fantastic bet to take care of business on the road.

Injuries noted

Cardinals: [KNOWN] Ramon Urias (3B) — Elbow (Right): Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. (Jun 12 — 26d ago) [NEW] Max Rajcic (RP) — Elbow (Right): The Cardinals transferred Rajcic (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday. (Jul 7 — 2d ago) [NEW] Ryne Stanek (RP) — Ankle (Right): Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday he hopes to avoid using Stanek (ankle) "for maybe two or three days," Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. (Jul 9 — 0d ago) Brewers: [NEW] Logan Henderson (SP) — Back (Not Specified): Henderson (back) will be activated from the 15-day injured list and start Thursday's game in St. Louis, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. (Jul 8 — 1d ago) [KNOWN] DL Hall (RP) — Pectoral (Left): Hall (pectoral) has progressed to throwing on flat ground from 60-to-75 feet, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports. (Jun 30 — 9d ago) [NEW] Brandon Lockridge (LF) — Knee (Right): The Brewers transferred Lockridge (knee) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday. (Jul 7 — 2d ago) [KNOWN] Coleman Crow (SP) — Forearm (Right): Crow (forearm) will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports. (Jun 30 — 9d ago) [KNOWN] Brian Fitzpatrick (RP) — Elbow (Left): Fitzpatrick (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery over the past week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. (Jul 4 — 4d ago) [KNOWN] Carlos Rodriguez (RP) — Shoulder (Right): Rodriguez (shoulder) struck out a batter and allowed three earned runs on two hits and one walk across 1.1 innings Wednesday in a rehab start for the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiiate. (Jul 2 — 7d ago) [KNOWN] Rob Zastryzny (RP) — Shoulder (Left): Zastryzny (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Friday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. (Jul 3 — 6d ago) [KNOWN] Angel Zerpa (Relief Pitcher) — Elbow (Left): The Brewers transferred Zerpa (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Sunday. (May 31 — 39d ago) [KNOWN] Joel Kuhnel (RP) — Shoulder (Right): The Brewers placed Kuhnel on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to July 3, due to a right shoulder injury. (Jul 4 — 4d ago) [NEW] Brandon Woodruff (SP) — Shoulder (Right): Medical imaging revealed an injury to Woodruff's right anterior shoulder capsule Wednesday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. (Jul 8 — 0d ago) [NEW] David Hamilton (3B) — Hamstring (Left): The Brewers placed Hamilton on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a strained left hamstring. (Jul 7 — 2d ago) [NEW] Kyle Harrison (SP) — Elbow (Left): Harrison said after Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals that he has been dealing with soreness on the outside of his elbow over the past few weeks, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. (Jul 8 — 0d ago)

About this analysis

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Gary AI, an AI sports-analysis product operated by Gary A.I. LLC. No human reviewer is claimed unless one is explicitly named.
Published data
Board stored July 9, 2026 at 11:10 AM ET.
Odds record
The displayed line is the value retained with the call. Stored sportsbook sources: fanduel, fanatics, caesars, draftkings, betmgm, betrivers.
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