Brewers vs. Cardinals predictions: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel on Friday, August 12

The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals square off on Friday with first pitch set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and will be available to watch on ESPN+. Eric Lauer (8-3, 3.59 ERA) will start for the Brewers with Jordan Montgomery (4-3, 3.53 ERA) on the mound for the Cardinals.

Milwaukee (60-50) will look for its third consecutive victory and take the lead in the National League Central, heading into this matchup trailing by a 0.5 game. Lauer made 20 starts this season and allowed just one run in both of his last two starts including a seven-inning performance in his last time out against the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers rank No. 8 in runs per game (4.6), and Willy Adames hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning after Rowdy Tellez smashed home run to send it into extras in Wednesday's win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

St. Louis (61-50) lost two of three games to the Colorado Rockies this week and will look to extend its lead in the division. Montgomery will make his second start after being traded from the New York Yankees at the deadline and threw five scoreless innings against his former team on Saturday. The Cardinals score the sixth-most runs per game (4.7), and Paul Goldschmidt has -125 odds to win the NL MVP.

Brewers vs. Cardinals

Pitchers: Eric Lauer vs. Jordan Montgomery
First pitch: 8:15 p.m. ET
Brewers local broadcast: Bally Sports Wisconsin
Cardinals local broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app with an ESPN+ subscription

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Cardinals -1.5 (+125)
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Cardinals -170, Brewers +145

Moneyline pick: Brewers +145

There is no significant advantage on either side in this matchup, so let's side with the team getting a higher payout. The starting pitchers are separated by 0.06 in ERA, and the team runs per game is separated by 0.1 over the course of the season. Lauer gave up just one run in three of his last four starts and should put Milwaukee in position to win as road underdogs.

Player prop pick: Eric Lauer under 4.5 strikeouts (-110)

The Brewers pitcher has been good at striking hitters out with an 8.9 K/9, but this is not a good lineup to go up against if you're looking for strikeouts. The Cardinals strike out 7.7 times per game, which is the fifth fewest in the MLB, and Lauer struck out six St. Louis hitters in two starts this season in a span of 11 innings of work.

  
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