AP Sports Preview: Diamondbacks at Brewers

MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — The Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers, both 15-13, meet Wednesday night at American Family Field in the second game of a four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT with a forecast of 45 degrees and clouds.

Arizona will start right-hander Brandon Sproat (0-1), who seeks his first win of the season. He faces a Milwaukee lineup that erupted for 13 runs in Tuesday’s series opener.

Milwaukee counters with right-hander Chad Patrick, who earned the win in that 13-2 victory, tossing five innings of one-hit ball, allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts. Patrick (3-1) has been effective in three of his five starts this season, including a six-inning, one-run outing against Toronto on April 15.

Players to watch:

Arizona’s James McCann has been a versatile contributor. Over his last five games, the catcher/pitcher went 1 for 3 with two RBIs on Tuesday while also pitching a scoreless inning. He has appeared on the mound twice this season, allowing one hit in two innings. At the plate, McCann has driven in four runs over his last four starts.

Milwaukee’s David Hamilton, seeing time at third and second base, went 2 for 5 with two RBIs on Tuesday. He has provided steady production in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup.

The Diamondbacks had won four of six before Tuesday’s loss, including a 12-7 victory over San Diego on Sunday. Arizona’s offense has been inconsistent, scoring 11 runs twice in a three-game span last week but managing only one run in two other recent games.

Milwaukee has won three of its last four, including a shutout of Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Brewers are 9-5 at home this season.

Simulation models are split: Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-4 Arizona win, while the ELO system gives Milwaukee a 59.4% win probability. The Brewers are -1.5 run favorites, with the over/under set at 8.5 total runs.

The series continues Thursday, with Arizona sending Brandon Pfaadt to the mound against an as-yet-unnamed Milwaukee starter. Both teams then depart for weekend road series — Arizona visits the Chicago Cubs, while Milwaukee travels to Washington.