Brewers vs. Diamondbacks: Game 1 predictions, odds and picks — Sept 13, MLB 2024

On Friday, the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks will meet to kick off their only series against each other this season. With both teams anticipating a postseason appearance, each side will hope to keep their good fortunes rolling.

With both teams coming off favorable series during the week, the stage is set for a first pitch at 6:40 p.m. MST from Chase Field in Arizona on Friday night.

Brewers vs Diamondbacks recent form and records

The Brewers have led the NL Central virtually all season, and continue to enjoy a nine-game lead over the second-place Chicago Cubs on account of their 84-62 record. 4-6 in their last 10, Milwaukee is on the way home from a three-game set in San Francisco, where they took two of three games from the Giants.

After putting up the fourth-best record in MLB in August, the D-Backs are 82-64, some five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. 6-4 in their last 10, the Snakes are fresh off of a two-game sweep of the Rangers, where they outscored Texas 20-4 over the pair of fixtures.

Players to Watch

Starting Pitchers

MIL: Freddy Peralta (10-8, 3.81 ERA) vs Eduardo Rodriguez (2-2, 5.83 ERA)

Peralta has a 1.219 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 179 K in 158.1 IP.

Last Start: Loss, 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K vs COL

Career vs AZ: 3-0 0.55 ERA (16.1 IP, 1 ER) 0 HR in 4 Games

"Freddy Peralta's Slider sends Mookie flying..." - Pitching Ninja

Rodriguez has a 1.534 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9 and 18 K in 29.1 IP.

Last Start: Loss, 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K vs HOU

Career vs MIL: 0-0 7.50 ERA (9.1 IP, 6 ER) 1 HR in 2 Games

Must-Watch Hitters

Milwaukee

Rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio has been cooking. The Venezuelan rookie hit his 20th home run of the season in the series finale against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night, and has connected for four homers and nine RBIs in his past 12 games.

"It's a 20 HR/20 SB season for the 20-year-old Jackson Chourio!" - MLB

Furthermore, four of Brice Turang's last 11 hits have been doubles. A .250 hitter over the past two weeks, Turang has also swiped four bases over the course of his last 13 games.

A .412 hitter over his past five games, catcher William Contreras has been a Snake destroyer against the D-Backs in his career. Through ten games against Arizona, Contreras has hit .417 with two home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored.

Arizona

Over the course of the last two weeks, nobody in MLB has topped Eugenio Suarez' 1.525 OPS. Having hit eight home runs and 13 RBIs over his past 12 games, Suarez appears to be on track to log the most homers of his career since his 2019 season as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.

"Eugenio Suárez has 3 home runs in his last 4 games." - MLB

Although Corbin Carroll has a team-worst 13 strikeouts in the past two weeks, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year has been putting in work. Over the same period, Carroll has hit .280 with two home runs, seven RBIs and 12 runs scored.

In his past four games, Pavin Smith has hit .400 with three home runs and nine RBIs. A career .278 hitter against Milwaukee, keep an eye on Smith in this affair.

Brewers vs Diamondbacks baseball betting odds

Brewers vs Diamondbacks expert picks and game prediction

Over the last two weeks, only the Kansas City Royals have bottomed out Milwaukee's .208 batting average. During the same period, the D-Backs' .290 team figure ranks first in MLB. As such, the D-Backs have outscored Milwaukee by some thirty runs over the past 12 games.

Pitching in this matchup leans towards Milwaukee. Freddy Peralta has some unbelievable career numbers against the Snakes, while Eduardo Rodriguez has struggled against the Brewers. However, all indicators point to Arizona.

Run Line: -1.5 +165

Total Runs: U 8.5 -115

Prediction: Arizona W, 5-4