Pirates vs. Brewers Predictions, Odds & Best Bets: Will Milwaukee Knock Skenes Out Early?

Can the Brewers make it 11 wins in a row when they face the Pirates and star pitcher Paul Skenes?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: August 12, 2025 3:33 PM EDT • 3 minute read

Pirates vs. Brewers Prediction, Odds & Best Bets: Tuesday, Aug. 12 — Pictured: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) as we make our Pirates vs. Brewers best bet. Photo by Brett Davis / Imagn Images.

This National League Central tilt is must-watch television as MLB’s best team, the Milwaukee Brewers, face arguably the sport’s best pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes. We break down this matchup of best arm versus best team in our Pirates vs. Brewers predictions. First pitch from American Family Field is set for 7:40 p.m. ET.

Milwaukee is a -130 moneyline home favorite at our best sports betting sites as it looks to tie its season-long winning streak, and our Pirates vs. Brewers best bets likes Milwaukee's chances to do so while ending Skenes’ night early.

Pirates vs. Brewers prediction: Brewers to win (-130 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best Pirates vs. Brewers player props: Paul Skenes Under 17.5 outs recorded (+115 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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💰 Pirates vs. Brewers prediction & best bet

✅ Pirates vs. Brewers prediction: Brewers to win (-130 via Caesars)

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Editor's note: Brewers were -115 to win at time of publishing.

Skenes is off to a historic beginning to his career, as the only pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA through 47 career starts since 1920. However, the Brewers are also doing historic things of late, and I am backing them with my Pirates vs. Brewers prediction as the much more balanced and complete team.

Entering this series, Milwaukee had won 34 of its previous 43 games, becoming the first NL Central team to do so since the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. The Brewers are also on pace to win 100-plus games for the first time in franchise history and obliterate their franchise-best 96 wins from 2011. That was also the only Milwaukee team to ever advance as far as the NLCS.

Milwaukee is now amid its second double-digit winning streak in the same season for the first time ever, outscoring opponents by 43 runs. And entering this series - since June 10 - the Brewers ranked first in win-loss record (38-12), runs per game (5.9), and average with runners in scoring position (.315). They were also second in team ERA (3.31).

Milwaukee’s moneyline is my Pirates vs. Brewers best bet, as the club flip-flopped Jose Quintana and Freddy Peralta in the rotation so the latter could face Skenes. Only Zack Wheeler and Dylan Cease have more strikeouts since the start of 2023 than Peralta.

This is a confident four-star play.

💰 Best Pirates vs. Brewers player props

✅ Best Pirates vs. Brewers player prop: Paul Skenes Under 17.5 outs recorded (+115 via bet365)

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Skenes has not had many clunkers in his outstanding young career. But one of those came against the Brewers this season. And with few pitchers able to limit Milwaukee’s offense of late, I am backing a shorter outing than usual for Skenes as my best Pirates vs. Brewers player prop.

Skenes has allowed more than three earned runs just four times in his 47 career starts. But one of those was in his only trip to Milwaukee in June, when he was roughed up for four runs in a season-low four innings. Now Skenes is coming off a start in which he allowed a career-high seven hits and threw 97 pitches, so the team will likely be more cautious with him tonight.

Milwaukee’s lineup is relentless, entering the series with eight players with an OPS+ of 101 or better. That doesn’t include Andrew Vaughn, who had a whopping 197 OPS+ in his first 24 games with the team.

I expect the Brewers to grind out at-bats, and heading to bet365 presents great value for this wager.

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Written by:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”