The Arizona Diamondbacks (20-38, 9-22 away) take on the Milwaukee Brewers (30-26, 14-15 home) in game two of a four-game set between two National League foes. Milwaukee took the first meeting between the two teams on Thursday night, 7-4.
Friday night’s first pitch is at 8:10 p.m. EST at American Family Field in Milwaukee, WI. According to oddsmakers, the Brewers are heavily favored (-200), and the run total is 8.
What to Know – Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have won only two of their last 18 contests and enter Friday night’s cost on a 14-game road losing streak into the game. Arizona’s recent woes have buried the Diamondbacks at the bottom of NL West standings, 15.5 games back of the division leader.
On the mound for the visitors is right-hander Matt Peacock (2-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.07 ERA), who will try and pick up his second win in a row. Peacock was primarily used out of the bullpen to start the season but moved to the rotation due to injuries. The 27-year old threw six innings, allowing two runs on six hits, with a season-high six strikeouts in his last start.
Offensively, Arizona averages 4.3 runs per game and rank 15th in the league, hitting .235 as a team. Third baseman Eduardo Escobar is a bright spot in the Diamondbacks lineup, leading Arizona in home runs (13) and runs batted in (39). Utility player Ketel Marte picked up his second four-hit game Thursday night, his first since returning from the injured list.
What to Know – Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee has turned up the heat recently and find themselves winners of six of its last seven games. The Brewers’ recent upward trend has kept Milwaukee near the top of the NL Central, sitting 2.5 games out of first place.
Starting on the hill for the host is 24-year old Freddy Peralta (5-1, 2.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP). Peralta is off to a fantastic start on the bump, tossing 56.2 innings this season while allowing only 15 earned runs. The right-hander twirled a gem in his last start, surrendering one earned run and four hits over seven innings of work for his second victory in a row.
The Brewers score 3.9 runs per outing and sport a team batting average of .211, second to last in the MLB. There hasn’t been a whole lot of highlights in the Brewers lineup, with outfielder Christian Yelich and second baseman Keston Hiura struggling at the dish. Center fielder Avisail Garcia is the only Brewer with double-digit home runs (11) and over 30 RBIs (32).
The Pick
Arizona continues to suffer on the road, and it won’t get any easier Friday night for the D’backs against Peralta. Peacock needs to mimic his recent start to give Arizona a shot at breaking its road woes.
The Brewers have used offense, defense, and pitching to emerge victorious in six of their last seven. Milwaukee is starting to put it together as we cross through a third of the season, and the Brewers have the talent to make noise in the tough NL Central.
The Pick: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5
