Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

After taking two straight in Arizona and four of five during their current road trip, the Milwaukee Brewers can start penciling in the day they will likely clinch the National League Central. It could happen as early as next week at home.

Milwaukee (86-62), which has an 11-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the division entering play Sunday, is also now within just one game of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second overall seed in the NL postseason, which brings with it a first-round bye.

A win Sunday to close out a three-game series with the Diamondbacks in Phoenix would put the Brewers in an even better postseason position.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames said after the Brewers’ 15-8 win over Arizona on Saturday night. “But we have to win … and have the same mentality we’ve had all year long. We have to continue to play good baseball, small ball and have fun.”

Indeed, Milwaukee got 16 hits on Saturday, with seven Brewers recording multi-hit games. They stole one base and rank third in the major leagues with 188 stolen bases on the season.

The Brewers enjoyed a taste of the long ball, too.

With a grand slam and a solo shot on Saturday, Adames hit his 31st and 32nd homers of the season, breaking his own franchise record for home runs in a season by a shortstop set in 2022. The 29-year-old also now owns the NL lead in RBIs with 107.

The Brewers built a 13-run lead in the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks — seeking an NL wild-card spot — are reeling, having lost nine of their last 15.

Arizona (82-66) entered this series with a one-game lead in the NL wild-card race. Now they’re a game and a half behind the San Diego Padres and just a game ahead of the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in the race for three spots.

Weaknesses are showing up in Arizona’s pitching staff.

Right-hander Ryne Nelson (10-6, 4.33 ERA) — one of the team’s projected postseason starters — went on the injured list earlier Saturday with right shoulder inflammation. Brandon Pfaadt (9-9, 4.81) allowed eight runs in 1 2/3 innings on Saturday. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo described the outing as “a total lack of pitching execution.”

“We have to be better on the mound,” Lovullo said. “Too many misses to a team … that is going to grind you down. If we’re better on the mound, things will start to fall into place. When we are, you can see how it works. When we’re not, it looks like that.”

The Diamondbacks turn to their ace, right-hander Zac Gallen (12-6, 3.55), on Sunday to stop the slide. He seeks to continue a strong month.

Gallen threw six no-hit innings against San Francisco in a 6-4 victory on Sept. 4. In his start on Tuesday, Gallen went five innings and allowed two hits and two walks while striking out seven in the Diamondbacks’ 6-0 win over Texas.

Gallen, 29, beat Milwaukee in two seven-inning starts last season. This is his first start against them in 2024.

The D-backs are in the third of a 10-game stretch in which they’ll play Milwaukee seven times. They met for the first time in Friday’s series opener, a 2-1 Brewers win.

Lefty DL Hall (1-1, 4.01) starts for Milwaukee in the series finale. After arriving via trade from Baltimore in the offseason, Hall, 25, spent most of this season sidelined with a left knee injury before returning in August.

Hall has thrown 12 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, with 5 2/3 coming in his last two appearances out of the bullpen and seven in his last start on Aug. 30 against Cincinnati. He’s never faced Arizona as a starter, but pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Baltimore against the Diamondbacks on Sept. 2, 2023.

–Field Level Media