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Milwaukee Brewers Predictions | 2011 Season Betting Preview

Shea Matthews weighs in with his Milwaukee Brewers 2011 Team Gambling Preview. Thought choosing between Milwaukee and Cincinnati at the top of the NL Central, the more I assess each team, the more I back the Brewers. Do your MLB betting with Cappers Picks MLB expert picks in 2011…

2011 MLB Team Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

Hard to believe, as many of us watch the snow fall outside, that the Boys of Summer are almost back. But it’s true; teams have started reporting to 2011 Major League Baseball training camps and it’s time to start our team-by-team baseball gambling previews for the year.

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Brewers Calender

FEB. 1-18, 2011 – Salary arbitration hearings
FEB. 14, 2011 – Voluntary Spring Training reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players
FEB. 19, 2011 – Voluntary Spring Training reporting date for non-pitchers and catchers
FEB. 26, 2011 – Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players

“If only they had pitching…”

How many times have we heard that about the Milwaukee Brewers over the last five years? They’ve fielded potent offenses one season after another but their lack of pitching has consistently held them back in the always-winnable National League Central. They finally took a stand this offseason and added not one, but two high-impact arms. Does that mean 2011 is Milwaukee’s year?

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
World Series odds: +1500

Here I was thinking I was all clever for picking Milwaukee to win the National League Central. However, one week and one season-ending Adam Wainwright injury later, the bandwagon is getting full. Some books even list Milwaukee’s odds of winning it all among the top five in baseball.

So did they really get that much better this offseason? I say yes, absolutely. They acquired a legitimate ace in Zack Greinke, who is just one season removed from a sparkling Cy Young campaign with Kansas City. Even though 2009 may go down as his career year, he’ll almost certainly improve on his disappointing 2010 now that he’s in the pitcher-friendly NL.

Greinke joins the ultra-talented if sometimes erratic Yovani Gallardo to form one of the NL’s top one-two punches. Carpenter/Wainwright is no more and Milwaukee’s tandem can absolutely hold a candle to Lincecum/Cain (though maybe not Halladay/Lee).Milwaukee also acquired Shaun Marcum to be its No. 3 guy. Marcum doesn’t throw hard but he’s sneaky-good, bringing a 3.85 career ERA to the table. He’s another solid addition. And there’s nothing wrong with Randy Wolf as your No. 4 guy.

Check out these stats:

  • .283, 31 homers, 102 RBI
  • .285, 23 homers, 104 RBI
  • .269, 29 homers, 83 RBI

Those are impressive middle-of-the-order power numbers, right? Well, what if I told you those numbers didn’t belong to Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, Milwaukee’s actual middle-of-the-order studs?

Those sets of numbers belong to Corey Hart, Casey McGehee and Rickie Weeks. The Brewers have two 100-RBI guys in their supporting cast. That just shows you how much power this team possesses. Braun and Fielder are the real stars and we should expect a huge campaign from Fielder. It’s his walk year and both he and the Brewers realize that this team is really going for it. A return to 45 homers wouldn’t surprise me.

Milwaukee’s bullpen looks solid, too. After kissing the Trevor Hoffman era goodbye, the Brewers found a blossoming young closer in John Axford. He has the makeup of a guy who can keep the job for years to come. He also has great setup support now that the Brewers added the always-effective Takashi Saito over the offseason.

2011 OUTLOOK

At first, I thought choosing between Milwaukee and Cincinnati at the top of the NL Central would be a tough decision. But, the more I assess each team, the more I back the Brewers in 2011. Powerful lineup, probably the best pitching staff in their division, solid bullpen…what’s not to like?

Prediction: 1st, National League Central

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By Shea Matthews

Shea Matthews the Senior Writer at CP. Lives and breathes sports. He made the transition from athlete to sports journalist at a young age, writing in TV & national papers. Shea applies his knowledge to sports betting + handicapping daily, and shares winning picks with the world.