Diamondbacks vs. Brewers: 3 Players That Must Deliver Big in NLDS

The Milwaukee Brewers host the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday afternoon for the first game of the NLDS. 

Both teams weren't the preseason favorites for a lot of folks, but each pulled away as the best of their divisions in the second half of the season. 

Milwaukee enters this five-game series as the favorite, but both teams have been on a hot streak in recent weeks. 

Game 1 is very crucial to the series as the Brewers try not to disappoint the fans, and the Diamondbacks will try to steal one the road.

Here are three players who need to deliver for their teams on Saturday. 

Prince Fielder

The Brewers first basemen led the team in home runs, RBI and on-base percentage. However, the last time Milwaukee made it to the playoffs, Fielder was 1-for-14 in four games. His only hit was a two-run homer. 

Fielder has to forget the past and step for his team not only in this game but throughout the postseason. Milwaukee is very capable of putting together a solid run over the next few weeks, but Fielder is one of the guys that has to step up. 

Zach Greinke

This is Greinke's first season with the Brewers, and he is a big reason why they won the NL Central for the first time in franchise history. 

He came from Kansas City where he had no hopes of pitching in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in this series. Greinke isn't scheduled to pitch Game 1, and because he pitched on Wednesday night it's uncertain whether he'll be ready to go after three days rest for Game 2. 

Whenever he does pitch though, there will be a great amount of pressure on him to come through. It's the kind of pressure he's never had to deal with, but the Brewers need him to press forward. 

Justin Upton

The 24-year-old right fielder is the best player on the Diamondbacks, and as their All-Star, he has to dominate the entire series. 

Upton led the Diamondbacks in batting average, home runs, hits, RBI and on-base percentage. If he doesn't come through and Arizona finds itself in a hole, their dreams of a World Series run will be over. 

Upton is the key for Arizona this series, which is a lot of pressure to put on a young player. 

Several people are ruling the Diamondbacks out from the start, but this team has a "never say die" attitude, and because they always put up a fight this series will be one to watch.