{"id":29500,"date":"2025-10-09T11:07:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T11:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/?p=29500"},"modified":"2025-11-22T03:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T03:28:09","slug":"brewers-vs-cubs-game-4-bullpen-depth-tested-as-chicago-fights-for-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/brewers-vs-cubs-game-4-bullpen-depth-tested-as-chicago-fights-for-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"Brewers vs. Cubs Game 4: Bullpen Depth Tested as Chicago Fights for Survival"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"dad65929\">\n<div class=\"_4f9bf79 d7dc56a8 _43c05b5\">\n<div class=\"ds-message _63c77b1\">\n<div class=\"ds-markdown\">\n<h3><strong>Analysis of Top AI Model Projections<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>BetQL &amp; SportsLine:<\/strong>\u00a0These models heavily weight betting market line movement, recent team performance (last 10-15 games), and advanced pitcher\/batter matchups. They are known for identifying value based on line discrepancies.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>ESPN Analytics (Power Index):<\/strong>\u00a0This model focuses heavily on overall team strength, run differential, and strength of schedule over the full season. It&#8217;s less reactive to single games and more about fundamental team quality.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Other High-Percentage Models (e.g.,\u00a0Dimers.com,\u00a0BetMGM AI):<\/strong>\u00a0These often incorporate a blend of historical data, simulated Monte Carlo outcomes, and player prop data to forecast results.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Synthesized &#8220;Average&#8221; AI Model Consensus:<\/strong><br \/>\nGiven the context\u2014Cubs at home, facing elimination, with momentum from a close Game 3 win\u2014most AI models would likely see this as a &#8220;coin-flip&#8221; game that leans slightly towards the Cubs. The models would note:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">The market has the Cubs as a slight underdog (+110), which some models might flag as value.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">Freddy Peralta is a significantly stronger pitcher than Matthew Boyd on paper.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">The Brewers&#8217; bullpen is more taxed and has more impactful injuries.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">The Cubs&#8217; offense at Wrigley is a key factor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Average AI Model Projection: Cubs 4, Brewers 3<\/strong>\u00a0(Aligning with the low total of 7 and the one-run nature of the series).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Custom Prediction Model<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">My prediction will use the Pythagorean Theorem and adjust for Strength of Schedule, key injuries, and current trends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>1. Pythagorean Win Expectation &amp; Strength of Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Brewers (Full Season):<\/strong>\u00a0Let&#8217;s assume a typical playoff team run differential. For a team leading a series 2-1, let&#8217;s use\u00a0<strong>Runs Scored (RS) = 780, Runs Allowed (RA) = 700<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">Pythagorean Win % = RS\u00b2 \/ (RS\u00b2 + RA\u00b2) = (780\u00b2) \/ (780\u00b2 + 700\u00b2) = 608,400 \/ (608,400 + 490,000) = 608,400 \/ 1,098,400 =\u00a0<strong>0.554<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Cubs (Full Season):<\/strong>\u00a0As a strong opponent, let&#8217;s use\u00a0<strong>RS = 760, RA = 720<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">Pythagorean Win % = (760\u00b2) \/ (760\u00b2 + 720\u00b2) = 577,600 \/ (577,600 + 518,400) = 577,600 \/ 1,096,000 =\u00a0<strong>0.527<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Strength of Schedule Adjustment:<\/strong>\u00a0The NL Central is a competitive division. We can assume their schedules were similarly difficult. For this exercise, we&#8217;ll consider it a wash, with a slight edge to the Brewers for having a better record and run differential.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>2. Pitching Matchup Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Freddy Peralta (MIL):<\/strong>\u00a0A clear ace. Top-tier strikeout rates, low ERA. This is a massive advantage for Milwaukee.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Matthew Boyd (CHC):<\/strong>\u00a0A veteran journeyman. Prone to giving up home runs and has a higher ERA. This is the Cubs&#8217; biggest weakness in this game.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>3. Injury Impact Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Brewers:<\/strong>\u00a0The injuries are devastating. Losing Woodruff and Montgomery decimates their rotation depth beyond Peralta. The bullpen is missing key arms (Miller, Bukauskas). The lineup is also missing a spark like Garrett Mitchell.\u00a0<strong>This severely impacts their ability to win a bullpen game and limits their offensive ceiling.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Cubs:<\/strong>\u00a0The injuries are significant but more concentrated. Losing Justin Steele is a major blow to their rotation, which is why Boyd is starting. The bullpen is also missing a key arm in Ryan Brasier. However, their starting lineup remains largely intact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>4. Trends &amp; Recent News:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Trend:<\/strong>\u00a0The Cubs just won a tight, must-win Game 3. Momentum is on their side, and the home crowd at Wrigley will be a major factor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Trend:<\/strong>\u00a0All three games in this series have been low-scoring and decided by 2 runs or fewer. This suggests a tight, pitcher-heavy series, even with Boyd starting.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Key News:<\/strong>\u00a0The primary news is that the Cubs are fighting for their playoff lives, while the Brewers have a safety net with a 2-1 lead. There&#8217;s no indication of star players being rested.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>My Custom Prediction Calculation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Base Score:<\/strong>\u00a0Using the Pythagorean expectations and adjusting for home field (typically ~0.04 win percentage), the Cubs have a slight edge for this specific game.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">Cubs Win Expectancy: ~0.527 + 0.04 = 0.567<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">Brewers Win Expectancy: ~0.554 &#8211; 0.04 = 0.514<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">This suggests a close Cubs win.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Pitcher Adjustment:<\/strong>\u00a0Peralta&#8217;s quality is a huge boost for Milwaukee, likely negating the Cubs&#8217; home-field advantage and then some. This pushes the expectation back towards a Brewers win.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Injury &amp; Bullpen Adjustment:<\/strong>\u00a0The Brewers&#8217; catastrophic pitching injuries are the deciding factor. Even if Peralta dominates for 6-7 innings, the bridge to the closer is extremely shaky. The Cubs have a more reliable relief corps for the later innings.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Final Run Environment:<\/strong>\u00a0With Peralta on the mound, Brewers&#8217; runs will be hard to come by. Boyd is likely to give up 2-3 runs over 4-5 innings. The game will be won or lost against the bullpens.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>My Custom Prediction: Cubs 3, Brewers 2<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>(A low-scoring game where the Cubs scratch out a late run against the Brewers&#8217; depleted bullpen to win by a single run).<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Averaging the Picks for the Final Selection<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Average AI Models Projection:<\/strong>\u00a0Cubs 4, Brewers 3<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>My Custom Model Projection:<\/strong>\u00a0Cubs 3, Brewers 2<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Averaged Final Score Prediction: Cubs 3.5, Brewers 2.5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\">This average clearly points to a\u00a0<strong>Chicago Cubs victory<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Pick<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Take the Chicago Cubs +110 Moneyline. <span style=\"color: #00ff00;\">***WINNER***<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Reasoning:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Pitching Depth is the Decider:<\/strong>\u00a0While Freddy Peralta is the best pitcher on the field, the game is unlikely to be a complete-game shutout. The Brewers&#8217; injury-ravaged bullpen presents a critical vulnerability that the Cubs&#8217; more stable lineup is positioned to exploit in the late innings.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Market Value:<\/strong>\u00a0Getting the home team, with their backs against the wall and showing life after a Game 3 win, at plus-money (+110) represents significant value. If this were a true 50\/50 game, the lines would be closer to -110 both ways.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Situational Momentum:<\/strong>\u00a0The Cubs have captured the momentum of the series. Playing in front of a raucous Wrigley Field crowd in an elimination game is a powerful intangible advantage that the models and the situation both support.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong>Series Trend:<\/strong>\u00a0All games have been close and low-scoring. An average score of 3.5 to 2.5 fits perfectly with the overall pattern of the series and the quality of the starting pitchers involved.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ds-theme\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ds-flex _0a3d93b\">\n<div class=\"ds-flex _965abe9 _54866f7\">\n<div class=\"_17e543b db183363\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n<div class=\"_001e3bb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ds-icon\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_17e543b db183363\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"button\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n<div class=\"_001e3bb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ds-icon\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Analysis of Top AI Model Projections BetQL &amp; SportsLine:\u00a0These models heavily weight betting market line movement, recent team performance (last 10-15 games), and advanced pitcher\/batter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":29501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[21],"tags":[793,811,852,5440,4365,4834,4666,4768],"class_list":["post-29500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-baseball","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-milwaukee-brewers-vs-chicago-cubs","tag-mlb-ai-analysis","tag-mlb-ai-bets","tag-mlb-ai-pick","tag-mlb-ai-prediction","two-columns"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Milwaukee-Brewers-vs.-Chicago-Cubs-1-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29500"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30354,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29500\/revisions\/30354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}