The Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers square off on Friday night for the first of a three-game set. It is the first meeting between the two clubs who could be in a battle for a Wild Card spot with one another later in the year.
The D-backs are coming off of a well-earned series victory against the Orioles, winning each of the last two games, including a 9-0 shutout in the finale. This pushed their overall record to 7-6, good for 4th in the NL West.
Meanwhile the Brewers are in a similar position, just coming off a three game set against the Rockies which also helped their record to a solid 7-6. The difference however lies in the clubs’ divisions, as even with the same record as Arizona, Milwaukee sits in second place in a weak NL Central.
Eduardo Rodriguez – LHP
For the Diamondbacks it will be veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound. In his last start against the Nationals he seemed dominant, collecting 12 strikeouts. That pushes his season total to 17 Ks in just 10.1 IP.
While he was fanning hitters left and right he was still knocked around a bit, and with some defensive misplays he eventually allowed 4 ER.
Against the Brewers the D-backs will need Rodriguez to give them some innings. He hasn’t yet completed the 6th inning in an outing in 2025, and while the season is still young, setting a good pace going forward for the lefty would be exciting.
After missing nearly all of 2024 with injury, he has already shown that he has potential to return to his 2023, 3.30 ERA form. Facing a club like Milwaukee who have some offensive potential, a great outing here would give some further confidence in that bounceback.
Jose Quintana – LHP
The Brewers will be turning to 36 year old Jose Quintana to make his first start of 2025. The left hander was signed late in winter, and was forced to play in an extended spring to build himself up. Now, he’s ready and will fortify Milwaukee’s rotation, and hopes to give the D-backs a hard time.
Quintana is another left-hander in a line of southpaws that the Diamondbacks have been forced to face in this early season. His five pitch mix keeps hitters off balance and generates soft contact.
He enjoyed a solid spring, pitching to a 3.60 ERA in a 5 inning sample. More importantly he is coming off an excellent 2024 season with the Mets where he pitched to a 3.75 ERA in 170.1 innings, striking out 7.1 batters per 9 innings.
In seven career starts against the Diamondbacks, Quintana has pitched to a 7.44 ERA. While with the Mets in 2024 his only outing against Arizona wasn’t pretty either, going only four innings, allowing three runs.
Arizona is going with their regular lineup against left-handed pitching. This of course means that Randal Grichuk gets a headliner role, betting third. His inclusion is for very good reason as he is currently batting .313 with a .951 against southpaws.
Another noteable change from other renditions is the leadoff man. Geraldo Perdomo steps in where Ketel Marte normally would have batted. This of course is due to Marte’s status on the injured list, but also due to Perdomo’s excellent approach and recent performance as one of the leaues best contact hitters.
So far in 2025 Perdomo is batting .333 with a 151 OPS+. He is also hitting the ball harder than in previous years, already hitting two home runs in 13 games after only hitting three throughout all of 2024.
Corbin Carroll is also back in the lineup after another incredible game on Wednsday. Entering Friday’s game he leads all MLB players in bWAR and fWAR. His increased exit velocities, and constistent ability to put the ball in play has made him an incredibly dangerous hitter.
Carroll sits at a 220 OPS+, and while it is early, he’s certainly looked the part, mashing five home runs already. While he hasn’t shown off his elite speed yet, with no stolen bases, he’s still worked aggressively on the basepaths.
