The National League portion of the Wild Card round will kick off on October 3 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. It’s a home series for the Brewers, and the winner of this one will get the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Here’s a preview of the upcoming series between the Diamondbacks and Brewers.

Related: 2023 NL Wild Card Preview: Marlins vs. Phillies

Scheduled Starters and Start Times

• Game 1: Brandon Pfaadt (Diamondbacks) vs. Corbin Burnes (Brewers)
• Game 2: Zac Gallen (Diamondbacks) vs. TBA
• Game 3: Merrill Kelly (Diamondbacks) vs. TBA

All games are scheduled to air at 7:08 PM ET on ESPN2. That however could change, depending on the other series.

A Look at the Offenses

Runs Scored	746	728
Home Runs	166	165
OPS	.730	.705
Whiff%	22.6%	25.9%
Hard Hit%	38.2%	37.8%

Both the Diamondbacks and Brewers’ offenses ranked among the bottom half of the MLB this season, although Arizona did end the season with better numbers.

The Diamondbacks can cause chaos on the basepaths, as Arizona ranked second in the league in stolen bases (166). Not only have the D-Backs made life rough for both catchers and pitchers alike this season, but having a number of speedsters that can get in scoring position makes it much easier for Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to drive in runs.

Between Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and Alek Thomas, expect the Diamondbacks to put catcher William Contreras to the test in this round.

The Brewers, meanwhile, did not have a terrific season overall at the plate. But, Milwaukee’s offense did perform much better over the second half.

Milwaukee scored 284 runs from August 1 onward, ninth-best in the Majors. The additions of Carlos Santana and Mark Canha, coupled with a strong second half from William Contreras — who hit .318 with eight home runs and 46 RBI after the All-Star break — helped push Milwaukee past the Reds in the National League Central.

A Look at the Pitching

Starters’ ERA	4.67	3.94
Relievers’ ERA	4.22	3.40
Strikeouts	1,351	1,425
Opponents’ AVG	.251	.226
Chase%	29.2%	28.1%

The pitching advantage goes to Milwaukee, as the Brewers rotation was one of the best this season despite a myriad of injuries. As far as the bullpen is concerned, Milwaukee relievers owned a 3.40 ERA, second-best in the Majors behind only the New York Yankees (3.34). Given the prowess of Devin Williams and Joel Payamps, among others, that figure is not a shock.

The Brewers — at full health — can throw out a top three of Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, and Brandon Woodruff who ranks among the best starting pitcher trios in the game. However, Milwaukee won’t have Woodruff for the NL Wild Card round, and possibly the entire playoffs, thanks to a shoulder injury. The good news for Milwaukee is that the Brewers do have depth with Wade Miley and Adrian Houser, but no Woodruff is a tough blow.

As far as the Diamondbacks pitching staff is concerned, Arizona does have two strong starters in Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. The D-Backs will opt to go with Brandon Pfaadt in Game 1, a power pitcher who struggled in his first go-around in the Majors but was better in the second half.

Arizona doesn’t have the same kind of bullpen that Milwaukee does, but the D-Backs do have two very good righties in Paul Sewald and Kevin Ginkel.

Our Predictions

With Woodruff out, the Brewers still have an advantage in the pitching department but not as much as Milwaukee did prior to the start of October.

Still, the Brewers have the arms to win this series. If the Brewers can get the timely hitting that they have for most of the series, Milwaukee will beat Arizona. We’ll go with the NL Central champions.