Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta is a great prop target on Monday. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Who doesn't love a little doubleheader to kick off a Monday in MLB?

The two top teams in the NL Central - the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs - will battle on Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field, with Game 1 featuring an interesting pitching matchup.

Brewers ace Freddy Peralta (2.90 ERA) is on the mound against Cubs youngster Cade Horton (3.07 ERA), who has led the team to a win in 11 of his 16 outings in 2025. Horton will have his work cut out for him on Monday, though, as the Brewers have the best record in MLB and recently won 14 games in a row (before losing on Sunday).

Despite trailing by eight games in the NL Central division race, the Cubs have the top wild card spot in the National League. Can they build on that advantage in the two games on Monday?

Let's take a look at the odds, players to bet on in the prop market and my prediction for Monday afternoon's Game 1 matchup.

There is some value in this prop for Peralta on Monday, even though the Cubs rank fourth in MLB in strikeouts per game (7.72) this season.

In three starts against Chicago in 2025, Peralta has racked up seven, six and three punchouts, clearing this line twice. Overall, he's picked up six or more punchouts in 16 of his 25 starts.

While the Cubs don't strike out a ton, asking Peralta to get six K's is still well short of Chicago's per-game average. On top of that, Peralta is one of the best strikeout pitchers in MLB, ranking in the 80th percentile in whiff percentage and the 76th percentile in strikeout percentage this season.

I'll bet on him clearing this line, which is set much lower than usual, on Monday afternoon.

Earlier today, I shared in SI Betting's MLB best bets column - Walk-Off Wagers - why I'm targeting the Brew Crew as underdogs on Monday afternoon:

Game 1 between the Brewers and Cubs features a pretty strong pitching matchup, as Milwaukee's ace - Freddy Peralta - takes on up-and-coming righty Cade Horton.

Horton, 23, has a 3.07 ERA this season, and he's led the Cubs to wins in four consecutive starts and 11 of his 16 outings in the 2025 season. Meanwhile, Peralta has a 2.90 ERA and has led Milwaukee to a win in 16 of his 25 outings in 2025.

This is a pretty even matchup overall, but the Brewers are coming off a 14-game winning streak that was snapped on Sunday. Not only is Milwaukee firing on all cylinders, but it is one of the better road teams in MLB this season, moving to 11 games over .500 at 36-25.

Chicago is very likely to be a playoff team, but I'm not totally sold on it winning this matchup - or betting on it as a favorite against the hottest team in MLB.

Horton's advanced numbers are a reason to doubt the Cubbies, as he ranks in the 45th percentile in expected ERA (4.00) and the 48th percentile in expected batting average against (.248).

Those aren't horrible numbers, but they pale in comparison to Peralta (3.53 xERA and .222 xBAA) this season.

I'll back the Brew Crew with Peralta on the mound in Game 1.

Pick: Brewers Moneyline (+108 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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