Brewers look to keep it rolling in the desert
Coming off another series victory over the Rockies, the Brewers now sit at 7-6 as they head to Arizona to wrap up their West Coast road trip. They’ll take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, including old friend Corbin Burnes, as they look to win their fourth consecutive series after being swept to begin the season in New York.
The Diamondbacks, also 7-6, have had a shaky start to their season. They’ve won series over the Yankees and Orioles, lost a series to the Nationals, and split four games with the Cubs. Their offense has done much better than their pitching staff, led by outfielder Corbin Carroll, who’s looking like an early-season MVP candidate. Through 50 at-bats, Carroll is hitting .320/.424/.740 with five homers, eight RBIs, 11 runs, four doubles, and a triple. Eugenio Suárez is tied with Carroll for the team lead with five homers of his own, though he only has seven hits total this year (five homers, two doubles, no singles). Geraldo Perdomo and Pavin Smith are also having solid starts to the season, while their star second baseman, Ketel Marte, is currently shelved with a hamstring injury. As a team, the D-backs are hitting .261/.348/.460, with their .808 OPS ranking second in the league behind the Yankees. They’ve slugged 17 homers, scored 72 runs, and stolen eight bases in 13 games.
For the Brewers, Jackson Chourio is on a heater after his 0-for-5 Opening Day, picking up a hit in each game since as he’s hitting .310/.305/.655 this year, leading the team with four homers, six doubles, 16 RBIs, and 11 runs. I will note that he has yet to walk while leading the team with 17 strikeouts, though five of those came in that rough Opening Day loss. Brice Turang and Christian Yelich are tied for second with three homers each, while William Contreras finally found a bit of a groove in Colorado as he slugged a pair of homers and drove in five at Coors Field. As a team, the Brewers rank 13th in OPS, hitting .238/.310/.392 with 15 homers, 68 runs scored, and 13 steals in 13 games.
Out of the bullpen, Jalen Beeks, Justin Martinez, and Shelby Miller have all been lights out so far for Arizona, giving up a combined one run across 20 innings. A.J. Puk, who entered the season as the team’s closer, hasn’t been as dominant as in years past, allowing two homers across his five outings, though he’s still 2-for-2 in save opportunities. Bryce Jarvis and Ryan Thompson have also been serviceable out of the bullpen, while Ryne Stanek (5.14 ERA over seven innings) and Joe Mantiply (8.31 ERA over 4 1⁄3 innings) have both struggled despite strong careers up to this point. As a staff, the D-backs rank 22nd in the league with a 4.42 team ERA and tied for eighth with 115 strikeouts in 114 innings. Their starter ERA ranks 29th, however, at 5.43 so far, while their reliever ERA of 2.93 is good for seventh best.
In Milwaukee’s bullpen, Bryan Hudson has looked great, Abner Uribe just allowed his first earned run of the year on Thursday, Trevor Megill has been lights out, and Jared Koenig and Nick Mears have also been solid. Joel Payamps and Elvis Peguero have really struggled, though, with Payamps now allowing 10 runs in just 5 1⁄3 innings (16.88 ERA). As a staff, the Brewers rank dead last with a 5.40 team ERA, though they are 10th in the league with 114 strikeouts in 115 innings. Their bullpen ranks 29th in the league with a 6.32 ERA, and their depleted rotation ranks 21st with a 4.62 ERA.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, April 11 @ 8:40 p.m.: TBD vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (6.10 ERA, 3.38 FIP)
This would be Elvin Rodriguez’s spot in the rotation, but he came out of the bullpen in Thursday’s loss to the Rockies. As much as I’d love to see an E. Rodriguez vs. E. Rodriguez matchup, the Brewers’ Rodriguez hasn’t seemed cut out for the rotation to this point, allowing 11 runs on 14 hits and a pair of walks with five strikeouts across nine innings (two starts) Most notably, he also leads the league with five home runs allowed. Given his appearance on Thursday, don’t be surprised if the Brewers make a roster move before Friday night.
The D-backs’ Rodriguez has also struggled this season after a rough 2024. In 10 starts a year ago, he went 3-4 with a 5.04 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 50 innings. In a pair of starts to begin 2025, he’s 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA and 17 strikeouts across 10 1⁄3 innings. He allowed three runs in 5 1⁄3 innings against the Cubs before allowing four runs in five innings against the Nationals last time out. In two career starts against the Brewers, he’s 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 11 innings.
Saturday, April 12 @ 7:10 p.m.: Chad Patrick (2.45 ERA, 5.45 FIP) vs. Corbin Burnes (5.79 ERA, 6.32 FIP)
Patrick has made a pair of solid starts for the Brewers since joining the rotation at the beginning of April. He allowed no runs across 4 2⁄3 innings against the Royals before allowing one run (a solo homer) against the Reds across 5 1⁄3 innings, also picking up his first career win as he lowered his ERA to 2.45. While he may not be the flashiest pitcher, he’s done his job thus far.
Burnes, now more than a year removed from the trade that sent him to the Orioles, inked a six-year, $210 million contract with Arizona this offseason. He hasn’t had much luck, though, as he allowed four runs (two earned) against the Yankees and another four earned runs against the Nationals. He’s still managed to strike out 11 batters in 9 1⁄3 innings, but he’s shown shaky control with seven walks and two hit batters. The longtime Brewer made one start against Milwaukee last year with the O’s, allowing three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts across five innings.
Sunday, April 13 @ 3:10 p.m.: Freddy Peralta (2.00 ERA, 3.38 FIP) vs. Zac Gallen (5.28 ERA, 3.78 FIP)
Now in his second season as the Brewers’ ace, Peralta is truly looking like it through three starts. He’s allowed four runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out 22 in 18 innings. The biggest area of concern is the home run ball, as he allowed 26 in each of the last two years and has allowed three already this year. When he keeps the ball in the yard, he’s one of the best pitchers in the league. Speaking of, his last time out against the Rockies, the only blemish on his line was a solo homer by Brenton Doyle. He went five innings and struck out six as he picked up his first win of the year. In five appearances (three starts) against the D-backs in his career, Peralta has been lights out. He’s allowed just two runs across 21 1⁄3 innings (0.84 ERA) with 29 strikeouts.
Gallen, now a co-ace with Burnes, finished top five in NL Cy Young voting in both 2022 and 2023. He has a slightly down year by his standards in 2024, with a 3.65 ERA, 3.38 FIP, and 156 strikeouts across 148 innings. Through three starts this year, he’s 1-2 with a 5.28 ERA as he was roughed up by both the Cubs (four runs over four innings) and the Orioles (five runs over 4 2⁄3 innings). We did get to see vintage Gallen against the Yankees in between those starts, however, as he struck out 13 and allowed no runs on no walks and three hits over 6 2⁄3 frames. Let’s hope the Brewers don’t catch that version on Sunday. In eight career starts against Milwaukee, Gallen is 4-3 with a 2.74 ERA and 56 strikeouts across 46 innings.
How to Watch
Friday, April 11: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin+ and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Saturday, April 12: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Sunday, April 13: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin+ and MLB.TV (out-of-market viewers); listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network
Prediction
Milwaukee’s offense has looked great, even with their disappointing series finale loss in Colorado on Thursday. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the Diamondbacks’ offense is probably even better, and the Crew will have to face two of their top starters on top of it. I’d be happy if the Brewers can take two of three, but I’ll predict the D-backs to win two of three.