Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers Prediction:
The Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks wrap up their series on Sunday. It could be a preview of the playoffs as Milwaukee looks to trade deadline acquisition Frankie Montas for a good start.
Since being traded from the Cincinnati Reds to Milwaukee, Montas has been at his best with a 3.55 ERA and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in nine starts with the Milwaukee Brewers, after supplying a 5.01 ERA with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 19 starts with the Reds.
Top MLB Resources:
The Milwaukee Brewers support Montas with a 3.21 ERA in the bullpen, which leads the league. The Diamondbacks are 24th in this category with a 4.39 ERA.
Jordan Montgomery gets the start for the Diamondbacks. He has struggled to a 6.23 ERA, spending much of August into early September as a long reliever in the bullpen. After being relegated from the starting rotation, he was reinserted in the rotation due to Ryne Nelson being placed on the injured list.
Montgomery is issuing 3.4 walks per nine innings and figures to leave the bullpen exposed. He has completed fewer than five innings in each of his past five appearances. The last time he pitched more than five innings was on August 21 against the Miami Marlins, when he allowed 10 hits and six runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The Diamondbacks are 13-11 in games Montgomery has pitched in this season despite his high ERA, thanks to the offense leading the league with 5.5 runs per game. But they are averaging 5.25 runs per game on the road compared to 5.75 runs per game at home.
The Milwaukee Brewers are seventh in the league in run production, with over 4.8 runs per game. Combined with their pitching advantage, it will be enough for Milwaukee to get a win to finish this series.
MLB Pick: Milwaukee Brewers -120
To find more baseball value bets and MLB picks, visit Greg Peterson’s daily MLB lines.
