Two first-place teams are set to square off for the second game of the series in Milwaukee. The Arizona Diamondbacks will take on the Milwaukee Brewers. The Diamondbacks jumped on the Brewers early on Monday and came away with the win. The win for the Diamondbacks moved them to 44-29 on the season, first place in the National League West. For the Brewers, their loss was the 35th of the season. Milwaukee is 37-35, in a four way fight at the top of the National League Central. The Milwaukee Brewers are -118, while Arizona is +108 on Tuesday.
Rea Gets the Nod for Milwaukee
32-year-old Colin Rea will get the nod for the home team in this game. From Iowa, the 32-year-old is 3-4 on the season, and holds a 4.71 earned run average. Rea is coming off a loss to the Twins, where he sent 5 innings, and allowed 4 runs. Rea has struck out 52 batters in just over 57 innings this season.
Despite being at the top of the divisional standings, the Brewers have a negative run differential on the season. The Brewers, with their loss on Monday, snapped their three-game winning streak, and dropped them to 21-17 at home this season.
The Brewers are 25th in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored, and 29th in team batting average. Christian Yelich, Rowdy Telez, and Brian Anderson are the top three threats in the Milwaukee lineup. Yelich is hitting .271, Telez has 12 homeruns, and Anderson has driven in 34 runs on the season.
Arizona Likes Being on the Road
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been road warriors all season. The win on Monday was their 21st win away from home, in 32 games. The Diamondbacks have a dynamite offense, led by youngster Corbin Carroll. Carrol leads the team with a .305 batting average. Christian Walker has been the top home run threat for Arizona, as he has 15 on the season, with a team high 48 runs batted in.
The Diamondbacks are sending Ryne Nelson to the hill in this game. The 25 year old is 3-4 on the season, and has a high ERA of 5.30 on the season. The Las Vegas native has 46 strikeouts this season, in more than 71 innings on the season. Nelson is coming off a start, where he struggled against the Phillies. He allowed 10 hits and 5 runs over 4 innings.
Arizona’s pitching is seeing batters hit .256 against them on the season. That ranks 24th in all of Major League Baseball. The Diamondbacks have a top two at the front of their rotation in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly that makes them awfully tough to beat.
Diamondbacks Win Again
The bet for this game is the Arizona Diamondbacks. If you can get the Diamondbacks at +108, you do it. Arizona has too good of an offense to pass up, especially against a guy like Colin Rea, who has struggled all season. Sure. Nelson has not been great either, so look for a bunch of runs to be scored. In the end, betting the Diamondbacks +108 is the way to go.
