Game Thread #14: Milwaukee Brewers (7-6) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (7-6)

Brewers and Diamondbacks kick off series in Phoenix

The Brewers start the second leg of their two-city road trip this evening when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix. It’s a matchup between two teams with playoff aspirations who come in with the same record at 7-6. Check out Harrison’s series preview here.

A day after they got a solid start from newcomer Quinn Priester, the Brewers will send another pitcher out for his debut this evening. Milwaukee carried a “TBA” as late as 5 p.m. CT, but things had been lining up in such a way that it seemed likely that tonight (the first day in which the team could recall a player who was optioned in spring training) would be José Quintana’s first start with the Brewers, and the team confirmed that before the game with the announcement that Quintana had been recalled from the Arizona Complex League with Elvis Peguero optioned to Triple-A Nashville. (The Peguero move was a little surprising, given Elvin Rodriguez’s struggles so far, but I suspect the team valued Rodriguez’s ability to go multiple innings while they’re still a little uncertain in the starting rotation.)

He’ll have a tough assignment. The Diamondbacks scored the most runs in baseball last season, and there is no reason to believe they won’t be in a position to do it again. They are led by third-year outfielder Corbin Carroll, who won NL Rookie of the Year in 2023. He got off to an inexplicably slow start last season but finished strong, and that has carried into this young campaign; he comes in as the National League’s leader in slugging and OPS. He’s far from the only weapon in that lineup, though, as Arizona also boasts Ketel Marte (who finished third in MVP voting last season), Eugenio Suárez (who has five home runs already), and their new first baseman, 2024 All-Star (with Cleveland) Josh Naylor. On top of that, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and DH Pavin Smith have also started the year hot. At the start of play today, the Diamondbacks trail only the Cubs and Yankees in runs scored. Perhaps luckily for the Brewers, Marte (who’s injured) and Smith have the night off.

The Brewers, on the other hand, will look to carry some offensive momentum out of Coors Field, where they looked great on Tuesday and Wednesday but struggled in a loss on Thursday. Tonight, the Brewer offense will face Arizona’s Eduardo Rodríguez, who has allowed seven runs in 10 ¹⁄₃ innings so far this season. With the left-handed Rodríguez on the hill, Vinny Capra is back in at third base, while Isaac Collins will give Garrett Mitchell the night off, which shifts Sal Frelick to center field and Jackson Chourio to right.

Come hang out for this edition of Brewers After Dark, as this one doesn’t get under way until 8:40 p.m. CT. You can catch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network, and tonight’s game is also the “free game of the day” on MLB TV for those of you out of the market.