Cardinals vs. Brewers (April 17): Hudson Hunts Road Series Win for St. Louis

After losing the series opener in Milwaukee on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals have claimed consecutive wins over the Brewers to set up a potential road series win over their NL Central rivals. This afternoon, Dakota Hudson will look to secure that series win for the Cardinals and pick up his first win of the MLB season.

In Thursday’s opener, Brandon Woodruff tossed five shutout innings, and Milwaukee’s bats knocked Adam Wainwright out after only 4.1 innings as the Brewers took a 5-1 win.

But Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz shut down the Brew Crew in wins over Friday and Saturday, which sets up the chance to strike an early blow against their division rivals.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers April 17 MLB Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Game Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals (5-2, 1st in NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (4-5, 4th in the NL Central)
• Venue & Location: American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Date: Sunday, April 17, 2022
• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• How to Watch Today’s Brewers vs. Cardinals Game: Bally Sports Midwest (Cardinals), Bally Sports Wisconsin (Brewers), MLB Extra Innings (subscription package)

Cardinals vs. Brewers Betting Odds

BetOnline Sportsbook

• Moneyline: St. Louis Cardinals +114, Milwaukee Brewers -134
• Total: OVER 8.5 (-118), UNDER 8.5 (-104)
• Run Line: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-176), Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (+146)

Caessars Sportsbook

• Moneyline: St. Louis Cardinals +110, Milwaukee Brewers -130
• Total: OVER 8.5 (-115), UNDER 8.5 (-105)
• Run Line: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-180), Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (+155)

BetUS

• Moneyline: St. Louis Cardinals +115, Milwaukee Brewers -134
• Total: OVER 8.5 (-115), UNDER 8.5 (-105)
• Run Line: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-186), Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (+150)

Can the Cardinals Continue Recent Run of Success in Milwaukee?

It is no doubt always satisfying to win a series against one of your biggest rivals. But it has to be especially satisfying to win a series on the road against a rival, whether it is one of the biggest rivalries in sports or you are duking it out for division honors or a playoff spot.

Over the past few years of the Cardinals vs. Brewers rivalry, St. Louis has had the upper hand in Milwaukee, winning three of the previous five series and posting a 13-8 record entering today’s series finale.

Last season, St. Louis swept a four-game series at American Family Field during the 17-game September win streak that helped the Cardinals claim the NL’s second wild-card spot.

In the 14th of those wins, Hudson made his 2021 debut and got the win as the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs, another one of their major rivals. Hudson missed the end of the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season after having Tommy John surgery on September 28, 2020.

Prior to then, his career was on an upward trajectory, as he went 16-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 2019 and posted a 2.77 ERA in eight starts before being sidelined in 2020.

As someone with only 42 MLB starts under his belt–32 of them in 2019–Hudson’s career splits don’t have a lot of big sample sizes to sift through. But if the Cardinals can tally three or more runs today, Hudson should be in a strong position.

Career Run Support Splits for Dakota Hudson

• 0-2 Runs (11 starts): 0-8, 3.64 ERA
• 3-5 Runs (11 starts): 6-1, 2.23 ERA
• 6+ Runs (20 starts): 13-0, 3.67 ERA

It is certainly encouraging that the Cardinals have scored 3+ runs in 73.8 percent of his career starts, including his first start of this season, a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals this past Tuesday. Hudson wasn’t great in his four innings, but he wasn’t awful either. He allowed three runs on five hits and gave up two homers, but he struck out four and walked none.

Given that Hudson had averaged at least a strikeout an inning only 13 times in his previous 41 career MLB starts and walked at least one batter in 39 of 41 starts, it is pretty encouraging going forward for Hudson to have checked both of those off of the list in his first start of the new season.

It also bodes well for his chances to pick up his first win in Milwaukee. He has made two starts there in his career, both coming early in the 2019 season. Neither was a sharp performance. In a 4-2 loss on March 30, 2019, he allowed four runs and seven hits (three homers) in 4.1 IP and took the loss. Then on April 15, 2019, he allowed six runs on eight hits (two homers) and walked three, but he received a no-decision in a 10-7 loss.

But he has come a long way since then–not least because he has allowed only 21 homers in 37 starts since allowing eight in his first five MLB starts–and if he can return to his pre-Tommy John form, it will be a significant boost for the Cardinals’ hopes of returning to the MLB playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Cardinals vs. Brewers Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction: Cardinals to win

Best Bet: Cardinals ML (+115 at BetUS)

After a rough start to the series, the Cardinals have bounced back well. And with the talented Hudson on the hill today, they are good value for the series win.