Spring Training Game Thread #27: Milwaukee Brewers (14-11) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (15-12)

Because who’d watch college basketball when you can catch a spring training grudge match?

The Brewers and Diamondbacks will face off tonight in what is the fourth-to-last day of spring training, a true showcase for all of you sickos who are going to ignore one of the non-baseball sports calendar’s most exciting nights and are instead going to tune into a game that does not matter between two teams who are ready for the season to begin.

This one comes with a fun twist, too, as we’ll see a face off between two-thirds of what once made up “the best top three in any rotation.” Corbin Burnes is a Diamondback now, if you’ve forgotten, and he’s been mowing batters down this spring the tune of 17 strikeouts, a 3-0 record, and a 1.35 ERA in 13 ¹⁄₃ Cactus League innings. He’ll face off against his former rotation-mate Freddy Peralta, who hasn’t been too shabby himself, and enters with a 2.61 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 10 ¹⁄₃ innings.

The Brewers are clearly searching for the same answers we are as we wrap up the spring schedule, as Jake Bauers and Tyler Black are both in the lineup tonight (signs seem to point to the last roster spot coming down to one of those two players). That assumes that Caleb Durbin, who is playing second base and leading off tonight, is assured a spot—the news that Andruw Monasterio was optioned earlier this week strongly suggests that, but I guess we could be surprised.

(Update: before the game, the Royals acquired Mark Canha from the Brewers, thus ending speculation that he could snag that final roster spot for himself. The return, according to Jon Heyman and various other sources, is a player to be named or cash.)

We will also see Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Rhys Hoskins, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Ortiz, and Oliver Dunn in a strong Milwaukee lineup. Notably, Brice Turang remains absent as he continues to regain arm strength after his ill-fated stint at shortstop.

Tonight’s game is televised, not only on FanDuel Sports Network in Wisconsin but on MLB Network if you’re outside the market. For those of you hanging out in public tonight, see if you can get your servers to switch the channel; no one’s really paying attention to those basketball games, anyway.

First pitch at 8:10 p.m. CT!