Diamondbacks at Brewers
The hottest team in the majors will give the ball to one of the game's hottest pitchers when the Arizona Diamondbacks start Zack Greinke in the third of a four-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Greinke has won four straight starts while sporting a 2.37 ERA and he has been dominant at Miller Park, winning 16 of 18 career decisions.
Greinke's personal run has helped fuel the recent surge by the Diamondbacks, who have won 10 of their last 11 after a 4-2 win in 10 innings Friday night. The Brewers are trending in the other direction with a season-high five-game slide and the latest setback has to sting after they lost a 2-1 lead with two outs in the ninth inning on a dramatic home run by Arizona catcher Chris Iannetta. Milwaukee has managed two runs and 11 hits through the first two games of the series and it placed slugger Ryan Braun (calf) on the 10-day disabled list Friday. Chase Anderson will try to keep pace with Greinke when he gets the nod Saturday.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (6-2, 2.82 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Chase Anderson (2-1, 4.25)
Greinke's impressive record at Miller Park includes an 11-0 mark in 2011 while a member of the Brewers, and he has not allowed an earned run in his last 12 2/3 innings against Milwaukee. He fell one out shy of his 17th career complete game in a dominant effort against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, fanning a season-high 12. The former Cy Young Award winner entered Friday's action second in the National League in strikeouts (78) and tied for second in wins.
Anderson has completed as many as five innings just once in four May starts, giving up six runs in four frames last Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The one-time Diamondback served up three home runs in that loss after giving up just two through his first eight outings. Anderson, 29, is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against his former team.
WALK-OFFS
1. Diamondbacks 3B Jake Lamb has seven home runs in his last 10 games.
2. Brewers 1B Eric Thames is 1-for-16 over a five-game span and has not produced an extra-base hit in 11 straight.
3. Arizona leads the all-time series 68-66.