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The Milwaukee Brewers have had a few days off, but they now know who they will face in the World Series: the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay took down the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night to punch its ticket to the World Series. The Brewers and Rays will take the field on Friday night to begin the World Series and it should be a good one. The Brewers were the best team in the National League all season. The Rays were the best team in the American League all season. They have earned their spots.
Heading into the World Series, the Brewers arguably should be considered the favorites. Milwaukee is the better overall team on paper. In the playoffs specifically, Milwaukee's bullpen has been its biggest advantage. Heading into the World Series, the only concern for the club is the Game 4 starter.
The Brewers' bullpen has been elite throughout the playoffs, to say the least. Milwaukee's bullpen has a 1.33 ERA so far in the playoffs across 40 2/3 innings of work. In eight games, Milwaukee's bullpen has averaged more than five innings of action per game. Despite the heavy usage, opposing teams haven't been able to get through the Brewers' bullpen just yet.
The Rays' bullpen has the sixth-best ERA in the playoffs so far at 3.60. If the Brewers can get through Tampa Bay's starters, they should be able to find ways to score runs. That's a strength in itself.
Disadvantage is a strong word here. This isn't to say the Brewers don't have the talent to be just fine. They have gone 7-1 in the playoffs so far and have been the best team in baseball. This is more so the idea that the Game 4 starter is at least a question mark. For the Brewers, it could be Dustin May, a bullpen game, or even someone like Kyle Harrison or Shane Drohan. May got the start in the National League Division Series. Drohan was an opener in the National League Championship Series with May coming in afterward.
The Brewers don't have any real holes on the roster at this point, clearly. Milwaukee won 103 games in the regular season and now is just four wins away from winning its first World Series title in franchise history. The Brewers are loaded throughout the rest of the roster to get through a Game 4, regardless of the starter.