September 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Kurt Marte (4) hits the ball during the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field After a base hit, celebrate in the dig. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The visiting Arizona Diamondbacks will turn to left-hander Jordan Montgomery as they look to complete a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon.
Montgomery (8-7, 6.23 ERA) will face right-hander Frankie Montas (7-11, 4.50).
The Diamondbacks notched their third win of the series on Saturday night, 5-0. Joc Pederson and Ketel Marte each had two-run homers, and Merrill Kelly pitched five innings of two-hit ball before, as the team said, The right calf left with cramps.
“We're a good team and we're peaking at the right time,” Arizona head coach Tori Lovullo said. “We can simplify the game when we need to, we can slow down when we need to. We can execute at a high level, we can speed up. This is a very dynamic team.”
Arizona (87-68) remains two games behind the San Diego Padres in the race for a top wild-card spot in the National League. The Diamondbacks are one game ahead of the third-place New York Mets, who defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 on Saturday.
Montgomery will make his second consecutive start after coming off the bench in three games. In his final start on Tuesday, he allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
Montgomery was 0-1 in September with a 6.75 ERA, allowing 10 runs on 15 hits in 13 1/3 innings. He has started five career games against the Milwaukee Bucks and is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA.
In the first three games of the series, Marte batted .600 (6-for-10) with two home runs, a double, five RBIs and five runs batted in.
The Brewers are the only team in the majors not having lost four straight this season. They have scored two points or less in four of their last five games.
Milwaukee (88-67) has lost three straight since locking itself into the NFC Central on Wednesday. The Brewers trailed the Dodgers and Phillies by four games for the National League's best overall record. The top two teams will receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
“Believe me, if you feel my guts right now, it's the same as any other loss, but they know we have a mountain to climb to get to four games to get into the bye series,” Brewers manager coach Pat Murphy said. “I don't know if that's the best thing for us, but the bottom line is we have to start recapturing those things that made us great.”
Montas has gone 3-3 with a 3.55 ERA in nine starts with the Brewers since acquiring him from Cincinnati in late July. In his most recent outing, he allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Phillies.
Montas has started in three career games against Arizona and is 1-2 with a 7.24 ERA, including a 2-6 loss on May 7 at Cincinnati.
–Scene-level media