The Milwaukee Brewers will be looking to ride the strength of their elite pitching staff in a matchup against the young Arizona Diamondbacks roster. The Diamondbacks have young stars Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno leading their offense. However, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta are well-equipped to shut them down. Who will come out on top in this National League Wild Card series?
When and where is the NL Wild Card Series?
The NL Wild Card Series is a best-of-three series that will be played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at American Family Field. Every game will start at 7:08 p.m. ET on back-to-back-to-back days beginning Oct. 3.
How to watch Diamondbacks vs. Brewers
ESPN will broadcast every game in the series. The games can be live-streamed on fuboTV. You can also watch on MLB.TV.
Dates: Game one: Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7:08 p.m. ET. – Game two: Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7:08 p.m. ET. – Game three: Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Location: American Family Field – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Odds: Brewers -154 to win the series
Diamondbacks storylines
The Diamondbacks lack depth in the pitching department, as they only have two playoff-ready arms at the top of their rotation. They may not have the arms to excel in a seven-game series, but they can upset the Brewers if they get solid starts out of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in Games 2 and 3/
The Diamondbacks will put rookie Brandon Pfaadt on the mound in Game 1. They think that since the Brewers are sending former NL Cy Young Corbin Burnes to the bump, they won't want to waste their top guys in a likely loss. Pfaadt was 3-9 with a 5.72 ERA this season, but a good performance and an upset over Burnes will go a long way to the Diamondbacks advancing to the NLDS. In his last start, Pfaadt threw 5.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox, so he has the potential to throw a gem again.
National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner Corbin Carroll leads the Diamondbacks in the offensive department for the Wild Card series. He has 25 home runs, 54 stolen bases, and a 134 OPS+ this season. They also have a power bat in Christian Walker, who hit 33 homers and had 103 RBIs.
The additions of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno from the Toronto Blue Jays also bolstered the Diamondbacks lineup this season. Moreno was the Blue Jays top prospect when he was acquired in a deal for Daulton Varsho. Moreno only played in 111 games this season but was second on the team in batting average with a .284 mark. He is also one of the best defensive catchers in the MLB.
Brewers storylines
The Brewers pitching staff finished with the best ERA in baseball. An elite pitching depth is one of the biggest contributors to success in postseason baseball. The Brewers have an elite closer in Devin Williams and relievers Bryse Wilson, Joel Payamps, Holby Milner, and Abner Uribe. Their rotation is anchored by Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, and Wade Miley. Peralta cut his first-half ERA by nearly two runs in the second half, and his strikeout minus walk rate led the league in the same period.
You can never have enough pitching depth, and the addition of Brandon Woodruff was welcomed by the Brewers. Woodruff missed most of the season with a shoulder injury but returned in August to post a 2.59 ERA in nine starts. After reinjuring the shoulder, the Brewers announced that he would be unavailable for the series.
The addition of William Contreras in the offseason benefitted their lineup, as he slashed a .290/.367./.459 line with a .358 wOBA. Christian Yelich also had a resurgence, hitting .278 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs. The Brewers' lineup lacked depth so they went out mid-season and acquired Carlos Santana, Mark Canha, and Josh Donaldson.
If the Brewers go far in the playoffs, it will be on the strength of their pitching, but their offensive power is good enough to support the run.