With the Brewers down to the final day before their postseason opener, the big Joey Ortiz question finally seems to be trending the right way.
Ortiz had Brewers fans holding their breath after he left Friday night’s regular-season finale with a visible limp. Pat Murphy later explained that the infielder had been dealing with knee soreness from a bruise he picked up in the series against the Philadelphia Phillies, along with inflammation in his abdomen that had been bothering him. Ortiz then sat out the final two games of the regular season, and for a stretch his NLDS status was genuinely up in the air.
That uncertainty eased on Friday when Murphy gave a far more encouraging update. Said Murphy on Ortiz on Friday afternoon, "It looks like it's progressing in the right direction...I would say at this point we're planning on him being available."
That’s the outcome the Brewers needed. Ortiz’s overall season line may not have screamed postseason centerpiece earlier in the year, but his second half changed the conversation.
From July 1 through the end of the season, he posted the ninth-best OPS in the NL among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, checking in at .883. For a team that values timely offense, he’s become one of the lineup’s real swing pieces.
Given that surge, losing him to a late injury would have been a brutal break. Instead, the Brewers are expecting him to be part of the NLDS roster, which is a huge relief after the scare.
How much he plays is still the next layer to watch. Murphy has leaned on David Hamilton against tougher right-handed starters at third base, so Ortiz’s role in the lineup isn’t completely set in stone. But with the Padres sending left-hander Robbie Ray to the mound in Game 1, Ortiz is almost certain to be at third base Saturday night.
For a Brewers team that has lived through its share of painful late-season injury stories, this one appears to be ending with a much better note.
In Other News...
Brewers Face A Tough NLDS Test After Padres' Surprise Decision
The Padres arrive in Milwaukee with plenty of momentum after sweeping the Cubs in the wild-card round, and now they get the top-seeded Brewers in a Division Series that already has a little extra edge. The opener is set for Oct. 3 on FOX Sports 1, with San Diego turning to left-hander Robbie Ray to set the tone against Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, one of the leading Cy Young candidates.
For Milwaukee, the matchup immediately puts the spotlight on how it handles a Padres club that has already shown it can finish quickly and travel well into October. Misiorowski gives the Brewers a frontline answer in Game 1, but the surprise lies in how San Diego chose to line up its pitching, and whether that early decision can disrupt the rhythm Milwaukee hoped to carry into the series. [Read more 🡒]
Padres NLDS Matchup Just Got More Complicated For One Big Reason
The Brewers got a useful dose of clarity as the postseason nears, with Andrew Vaughn reinstated from the injured list and expected to be available for the National League Division Series against the Padres. Manager Pat Murphy also offered an update on Joey Ortiz, whose MRI came back clean, giving Milwaukee at least some reassurance as it sorts through its infield depth for October.
Ortiz is still not fully in the clear, though, because the bruised right knee and abdominal swelling have left him limited in high-intensity work. For a Brewers club trying to line up its best defensive and offensive mix against San Diego, the difference between having Vaughn ready and waiting on Ortizs next step could shape how Murphy approaches the series openers. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Draw A Padres Problem Fans Wont Love In The NLDS
The Padres arrive in the NLDS looking like a team Milwaukee would have preferred to avoid. After a strong finish to the regular season and a sweep of the Cubs in the Wild Card Series, San Diego has carried that momentum into October, and the matchup brings a familiar postseason jolt for a Brewers club trying to line up its pitching and defense against a dangerous lineup.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is a big reason the Padres suddenly feel much more complete at the plate. After a difficult start to the season, he turned it around after May 17 and powered a surge that helped fuel San Diegos offense, finishing with 25 home runs over the final two-thirds of the year. For Milwaukee, the challenge is less about what Tatis was early and more about what he has become now, because the version arriving in the NLDS is one that can change a series quickly. [Read more 🡒]