Diamondbacks vs. Brewers Wednesday MLB Game 2 odds, props: Potential final game as Milwaukee manager for Craig Counsell with Mets looming

Everything was set up for the Milwaukee Brewers to win Game 1 of their Wild Card series at home vs. Arizona on Tuesday. The Brewers were starting ace Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young Award winner, while the Diamondbacks gave rookie Brandon Pfaadt his first playoff start. The DBacks pulled off the upset and the Brewers' season is now on the line in Game 2 with the future of manager Craig Counsell very much in doubt. Milwaukee is a -135 favorite on the SportsLine consensus.

Counsell is the longest-tenured manager in the National League, having been with Milwaukee since May 2015. He has the most regular wins (707) and games managed (1,332) of any manager in franchise history. The Brewers are in the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six years but haven't come close to the World Series since losing the 2018 NLCS.

Counsell's contract is up and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has told Counsell he's willing to give him a multiyear deal or a one-year deal, but Counsell is waiting to see what happens. Counsell has all the ties in the world to Milwaukee -- he spent six years as a player with the Brewers, his father John worked as the Brewers' director of community relations under Bud Selig, and Counsell is a rare manager who lives year-round in his team's city.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale previously wrote that he expected Counsell to leave. The two-time World Series champion as a player (2001 Diamondbacks, 2003 Marlins) would become a highly sought-after free agent if he hits the market. Also note that Milwaukee has a new GM in Matt Arnold and that three key Brewers players -- Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Willy Adames -- will be free agents after 2024.

Former Brewers general manager and president of baseball operations David Stearns stepped down from the position after the 2022 campaign and has since been hired to run the Mets, who need a manager and are willing to spend plenty of money on the roster, something the Brewers simply can't do. Stearns was Counsell's partner in Milwaukee for seven seasons.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported last month that Counsell is expected to be in the dugout somewhere in 2024 and that Steve Cohen will not blink at paying Counsell something in the neighborhood of $6 million per season – believed to be what the Rangers' Bruce Bochy makes as the highest-paid manager -- compared to the $3.5 million he makes him 2023. There is even a tie to former Mets manager Buck Showalter, as he managed Counsell in Arizona in 2000.

Counsell turns to Freddy Peralta (12-10, 3,86 ERA) to save the season on Wednesday. With Brandon Woodruff nursing a shoulder injury and out indefinitely, Peralta will be bumped up to start Wednesday. He was 7-4 with a 3.44 ERA at home this year and didn't face Arizona. Peralta was 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his final five home starts this year and is 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in two career starts vs. Arizona. He is set at over/under 1.5 earned runs tonight. The Brewers are seeking to avoid losing their fifth straight postseason series.

The Diamondbacks counter with ace Zac Gallen (17-9, 3.47 ERA), who has a 4.42 ERA on the road. He was 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA this year in two starts against Milwaukee, however. Gallen is set at O/U 2.5 earned runs. Arizona's Game 1 win snapped a seven-game postseason road losing streak. The DBacks rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and had been 0-14 previously in playoff games they trailed by at least three.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Craig Counsell be the Brewers' manager for Opening Day 2024?

• No -150
• Yes +120

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