Retour
The Milwaukee Brewers don't have a lot of decisions to make heading into Game 1 of the World Series.
Game 1 will be played on Friday between the Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field. Milwaukee doesn't have to announce its World Series roster yet. It does not have to until Friday morning. The biggest thing to watch from a roster perspective is whether Brandon Woodruff will be on the roster. When it comes to Game 1 specifically, the biggest decision facing Brewers manager Pat Murphy will be whether to roll with Joey Ortiz and Sal Frelick in the lineup, or David Hamilton and Luis Lara.
Throughout the playoffs so far, the Brewers have platooned right field and third base based on the matchups with the opposing starters. The Brewers have already announced that Jacob Misiorowski will be taking the hill and representing Milwaukee. The Rays haven't announced their Game 1 starter yet, although Drew Rasmussen seems like the obvious choice. He's a righty, which should lead to Hamilton and Lara in the lineup. Tampa Bay's rotation is heavy on righties, which bodes well for Hamilton and Lara. But that doesn't mean that Ortiz and Frelick shouldn't get looks as well.
Milwaukee will have to find ways to pick their spots to keep everyone fresh and ready to contribute. If Rasmussen takes the hill on Friday night, Milwaukee should roll with Hamilton and Lara in the starting lineup and then go from there.
Outside of this idea, there really aren't many big decisions for Milwaukee to make specifically when it comes to Game 1. The Brewers already announced that Misiorowski will be on the hill. The Brewers have to announce their roster, but outside of potentially Woodruff, it will not look very different from the National League Division Series or the National League Championship Series. In fact, the Brewers actually had the same 26-man roster in the NLDS and the NLCS.
So, the big thing to watch is the matchups. For Tampa Bay, Rasmussen is the likely Game 1 starter. Soon after, Milwaukee fans will see old friend Freddy Peralta, likely in Game 2 or Game 3.
Milwaukee has had days to prepare for the big matchup after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. The Brewers' last game came on Oct. 15 against Los Angeles. On Friday, Milwaukee will hit the field again.