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The first National League Division Series matchup is set.
The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in two games of the NL Wild Card Round at American Family Field to clinch a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
Arizona opened the NLWC on Tuesday with a 6-3 comeback victory over Milwaukee in Game 1 thanks to the likes of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno, who each hit home runs in the win.
The Diamondbacks fell into a similar hole on Wednesday before charging back for a 5-2 victory courtesy of Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas, who each drove in runs in the victory.
The back-to-back comeback victories prove that Arizona has what it takes to win, but now they face an incredibly tough battle with the Dodgers in the NLDS.
The Dodgers enter the NLDS as the heavy favorites to advance with -210 odds, per DraftKings Sportsbook. The Diamondbacks have +175 odds to move past the divisional round.
The Dodgers went 8-5 against the Diamondbacks this season and they were particularly effective against Arizona at Dodger Stadium, posting a 5-2 record against the franchise at home and 3-3 on the road.
With L.A. having home-field advantage, the Dodgers will surely have the upper-hand against a young Diamondbacks team that has exceeded expectations all year long.
Carroll, Marte, Gurriel and Christian Walker have been Arizona’s leaders at the plate this season.
Carroll, a rookie, has been particularly impressive in his first full major league season and could very well win the NL Rookie of the Year award. He finished the regular season slashing .285/.362/.506 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI and 54 stolen bases.
Walker also put together a career year, slashing .258/.333/.497 with 33 home runs, 103 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
On the mound, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have held down the fort. Gallen went 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 220 strikeouts in 210 innings across 34 starts and Kelly went 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 187 strikeouts in 177.2 innings across 30 starts.
As for the Dodgers, they have plenty of championship experience on their roster with the likes of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Clayton Kershaw, and Enrique Hernandez.
Betts was arguably the team’s best player, slashing .307/.408/.579 with 39 home runs, 107 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Freeman was equally as impressive, hitting .331/.410/.567 with 29 home runs, 102 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young winner, was L.A.’s leader on the mound, posting a 13-5 record, 2.46 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 137 strikeouts in 131.2 innings across 24 starts.
Given L.A.’s championship pedigree, it’s going to be hard for the Diamondbacks to pull off the upset. That said, nothing’s impossible.
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