Although the Diamondbacks may lack their ace to begin the Wild Card round, the Brewers will undoubtedly have theirs, as they’ve confirmed Corbin Burnes as their Game 1 starter.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This year, the Brewers, as a team, have excelled with a league-best 3.71 ERA, effectively stifling opposing teams to an average of fewer than 4 runs per game throughout the regular season.
Which, for the Diamondbacks, is not the ideal scenario as they have recently endured quite the offensive slump.
In the closing four games of the season, Arizona suffered losses in each matchup and managed to score a slim three runs collectively.
During this final stretch, slugger Christian Walker went 0-19 at the plate, Ketel Marte went 1-13, Geraldo Perdomo went 0-12, and Tommy Pham went 2-20.
Now, they are tasked with facing one of the National League’s premier pitchers to launch their 2023 postseason campaign.
While Corbin Burnes may have had a relatively subdued year, marked by his highest ERA since 2019, the 28-year-old still earned his ticket to the All-Star Game for the third consecutive time and racked up an impressive 200 strikeouts.
However, there is a silver lining.
Burnes faced the Diamondbacks twice this season, resulting in two starkly different outcomes.
In April, Burnes dominated, holding the Diamondbacks scoreless with just three hits allowed over 8 innings.
Then, in June, Burnes struggled and was pulled from the game in the 5th inning after conceding seven runs on 8 hits.
It’s worth noting that the 2021 Cy Young winner enters the playoffs with an impressive 9-inning scoreless streak, courtesy of his two recent shutout performances.
Moreover, when the postseason pressure mounts, Burnes tends to shine.
Back in 2021, facing the Braves who went on to win the World Series, Corbin Burnes tossed six shutout innings.
Across 15 playoff innings, he has allowed a mere two earned runs while striking out 17 batters.
Given Burnes’ postseason experience, it’s no surprise that the Diamondbacks enter Game 1 as +150 underdogs against the NL Central champions.
This series is set to commence on Tuesday at 4:08 PM.
