The Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up a series at PNC Park at 12:35 p.m. ET on Thursday. Milwaukee is listed as a -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100) at Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under is set at 7.5 (see up-to-date'odds for every game this week on our MLB odds page). Before making any Brewers vs. Pirates picks, you NEED to check out the MLB predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and it e nters Week 18 on a 20-14 roll on top-rated MLB picks, returning almost $400 for $100 players. This is the same model that pegged the 2021 Atlanta Braves at 10-1 as one of three best bets to win it all last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
The model knows the Brewers have a strong offense. Milwaukee is a top-five team in runs scored, home runs, stolen bases, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. The Brewers also have an elite starting pitcher in Brandon Woodruff, with the two-time All-Star posting a 3.55 ERA this season. He averages more than 11 strikeouts per nine inning with opponents struggling to a .644 OPS this season.'
The model also knows the Pirates are better at home at PNC Park. Pittsburgh has a starting pitcher in Zach Thompson that limits right-handed batters to a sub-.700 OPS in his career. In addition, the Brewers are near the bottom of the NL in several categories. Milwaukee is a bottom-five NL team in d oubles, triples, and strikeout avoidance.'