MLB Wednesday Betting Picks: Cubs vs. Brewers, Aaron Judge and More

Wednesday’s MLB schedule features a meeting of Eastern division leaders as Tampa Bay visits Atlanta eager to regroup from a 7-1 loss in the series opener Tuesday.

Salivating matchups can be found elsewhere, though, especially individually. Read on to see just how well the Yankees’ Aaron Judge has fared against Rockies righty Tomoyuki Sugano. Odds are via FanDuel.

That tussle is among the free picks for today’s slate.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS AT SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS, 3:45 p.m. ET

One win separates the Giants (61-85) from their first home sweep of a lost season. Still treading water for the final National League wild card spot, the Cardinals (72-74) lost three in a row at Philadelphia from Aug. 21-23 and in Milwaukee in late May.

Let the record show that Cards right-hander Andre Pallante pitched in neither series. That he’s set to get the start in this matinee steers the pick in St. Louis’ favor.

Pallante is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA in his past seven starts covering 41 innings. He’ll face Giants righty Blade Tidwell (0-2, 4.43), who has needed 100 and 93 pitches, respectively, to complete five innings in each of his past two starts. Tidwell walked five and hit a batter in a road loss at Pittsburgh Thursday.

Look for the Redbirds to rebound and keep the Giants sweepless in San Francisco.

Cardinals (-124)

COLORADO ROCKIES AT NEW YORK YANKEES, 7:05 p.m. ET

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in Tuesday’s series-opening win against Colorado after missing 84 games with a broken rib.

An early remedy is on the horizon in the person of Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano. Judge was dominant against the righty when Sugano pitched for the division rival Baltimore Orioles last season, batting .778 (7-for-9) with three solo home runs.

New York (82-62) gradually is acclimating Judge to game speed. Considering who’s on the mound for the 55-89 Rockies, though, it’s worth taking this chance before Judge exits for a late-game defensive replacement, as planned.

Aaron Judge 2+ hits (+230)

CHICAGO CUBS AT MILWAUKEE BREWERS, 7:40 p.m. ET

NL Central-leading Milwaukee (90-56) holds a nine-game edge on Chicago (81-56) with 16 games to play.

The Cubs hoped to make a dent this week but have lost the first two games of the series 4-3. Tuesday’s contest ended in that score in 10 innings after Chicago squandered a 3-1 lead entering the bottom of the ninth.

The Brewers won two of three at Wrigley Field to begin September, but a Milwaukee sweep seems imminent here. So does a low-scoring game, so long as the Cubs minimize contributions from their bullpen.

Brewers starter Logan Henderson is coming off Thursday’s tough-luck road loss at Chicago, when he scattered two runs and three hits – including a two-run homer from Pete Crow-Armstrong – in seven innings.

Cubs righty Kevin Gausman earned the victory in that game, surrendering a solo home run to Andrew Vaughn but otherwise shining over seven innings of one-run, five hit ball. Henderson and Gausman combined for 16 strikeouts. We’ll see what the rematch holds.

Under 7.5 runs (-110)