The Arizona Diamondbacks begin the playoffs with a three-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Diamondbacks-Brewers prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Diamondbacks started the season off very good, and it looked like they would win the NL West. However, that is not the case, and they had to hang on to the last Wild Card spot. Arizona did just that, and now they have to play a road series against the Brewers to begin the playoffs. The Diamondbacks ended the season on a four game losing streak, and they were swept by the Houston Astros to finish the season. Corbin Carroll is the most noteworthy player on the Diamondbacks. Carroll is a shoe-in for the Rookie of the Year as he hit .285 with 25 home runs, and 75 RBI.
The Brewers led the NL Central for most of the season, and they ended up winning the division by a whopping nine games. Milwaukee ended the season winning six of their last 10 games, but they have been coasting for a while. William Contreras had a fantastic season behind the plate. He had a .291 batting average, 17 home runs, and 78 RBI. It was the pitching staff that led the team, though. They had a 3.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9. Four of their starters had an ERA below 4.oo, and two of them had 200+ strikeouts.
Brandon Pfaadt will get the start for the Diamondbacks in game one of this series. Corbin Burnes will be the starting pitcher for the Brewers.
Here are the Diamondbacks-Brewers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Brewers Odds
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-137)
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+114)
Over: 7.5 (-115)
Under: 7.5 (-105)
How To Watch Diamondbacks vs. Brewers
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN app
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
The Diamondbacks were able to win the season series with the Brewers 4-2 this season. Arizona hit .261 in those games, which is very good when thinking about how good the Brewers pitching staff is. Ketel Marte had six hits, including a home run, four RBI, and seven runs scored to lead the Diamondbacks in the six games against Milwaukee. The Diamondbacks will need Marte, Carroll, and Walker all to hit well in this game. If they can do that, the Diamondbacks will cover the spread.
Arizona has faced Corbin Burnes twice this season. Once at home, and once on the road. When they faced him in Milwaukee, the Diamondbacks really got to him. In that game, Arizona scored seven runs on eight hits, and knocked Burnes out after just five innings. They will not need to score that many runs, but they will have to do some damage. If they can score three or four runs off Burnes, the Diamondbacks will cover the spread.
Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread
The Brewers pitching staff has led the charge all season, but their offense has a good matchup in this game. Brandon Pfaadt has allowed opponents to hit .282 off him this season, and 15 of his 22 home runs allowed have come on the road. September was not been super kind to Pfaadt. Opponents hit .288 off Pfaadt in September, and had more bad starts than good starts. The Brewers should be able to hit the ball around, and score some runs in this game. Milwaukee will cover the spread if they just hit off Pfaadt.
Final Diamondbacks-Brewers Prediction & Pick
This game could be chosen off the pitching matchup alone. Burnes has had plenty of rest, and he is the better of the two pitchers. I fully expect the Brewers to come out swinging in this game and cover the spread.
Final Diamondbacks-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Brewers -1.5 (+114), Over 7.5 (-115)