The Milwaukee Brewers still remain atop the NL Central, and after the first game of this series against the Chicago Cubs yesterday, it seems they may keep padding their lead. There’s now a 7.5-game gap between these division rivals as the Brew Crew extended their winning streak to five, also snapping their opponent’s four-game streak. Tonight, these teams face off again for the second leg of this three-game set in Milwaukee.

Here’s a betting prediction and pick for this Cubs vs. Brewers matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Cubs vs. Brewers prediction, preview

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs were hitting their stride heading into last night, but had a four-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 44-38 on the year. After the 6-2 loss, their run differential ticked down a smidge to +33 as well. Chicago produces 4.89 runs per game, sixth most of any team. With an OPS of .738, the Cubbies are seventh in the stat with a slash line of .242/.336/.402. Their success comes thanks to excellent plate discipline with an MLB-best 11.2% BB%, plus a low K% at 21.3% (though Jacob Misiorowski tallied eight strikeouts against them yesterday). The club’s power isn’t elite, but stands out as well. They have 96 home runs, 15th most, with a .160 ISO that ranks 13th. There’s an added bonus tonight as the Cubs face off against a left-handed starter, slashing .257/.349/.412 for an OPS of .761 in the split.

After trading for former Mets LHP David Peterson just a couple of days ago, the newest member of the Cubs makes his first start for the club tonight. Peterson has a 3-6 record across 16 games this year with a 6.09 ERA, a 1.65 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 68.0 IP. He’s largely been poor and saw his role shift with New York, but if nothing else, he forces ground balls at an elite rate. The bullpen backing him has a 3.95 ERA that ranks 15th, plus a 1.28 WHIP and 11.9% K-BB%.

Milwaukee Brewers

As mentioned in the intro, the NL Central lead grew to 7.5 games for Milwaukee after last night’s win marked their 50th of the year. The Brewers are now 50-29 with +127 run differential, also winning five consecutive outings. The club averages 5.23 runs per game, second most, and a .733 OPS ranks 10th overall on a .255/.339/.395 slash line. They certainly lack much in the way of power with a .140 ISO that ranks third-to-last and only 72 homers are nothing to write home about. However, playing small ball works nicely for them alongside a excellent with a 10.8% BB% that ranks second and a 21.1% K%. However, the Brewers get the worse of their splits tonight with a .242/.325/.357 line against left-handed pitching.

LHP Kyle Harrison draws the start for Milwaukee after going 8-1 in 14 appearances. He has a nice 2.50 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 72.0 IP. His 30.0% K% ranks in the 90th percentile, too. The Brewers’ bullpen is also quite productive, amassing a 3.56 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and a 14.1% K-BB%.

Cubs vs. Brewers pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Brewers as -163 home favorites on the Moneyline tonight. The Cubs are underdogs with +135 odds to win outright. The total sits at eight combined runs this evening.

Best Bet: David Peterson over 9.5 H + BB + ER allowed (-104)

Today could go a little more smoothly for the Cubs than last night’s outing did since get get to face a lefty who isn’t quite the caliber of star as Misiorowski. However, Harrison is also quite good. This is easily the best season of his career so far, and he completely destroyed this Chicago lineup last time he faced them — he went a full seven innings against them, holding them scoreless with just two hits while striking out 11 batters. Such a performance may be a little tough to replicate, but he should have a decent day at least, even against a team that’s better against lefties. Personally, I’d rather bank on a shaky first start from Peterson given the change of scenery and quick turnaround instead of targeting a game line. Given his struggles in a bulk role with New York, a 10.97 ERA in three June appearances and the Brewers’ plate approach, over 9.5 combined hits + walks + earned runs feels like a quality pick at -104.