The Brewers are making their Game 1 bet on the endgame.
With Milwaukee set to open its 2026 postseason against the Padres, Pat Murphy rolled out a lineup built less for the first few innings and more for the pressure points that usually decide October games. Jacob Misiorowski gets the ball for the Brewers, while San Diego counters with left-hander Robbie Ray, and that matchup immediately forced Milwaukee into some lineup gymnastics.
The biggest change is in right field, where rookie Luis Lara is starting. Jake Bauers, who has been dealing with lingering shin splints and limited mobility in the outfield, is at first base.
Christian Yelich is the designated hitter. Andrew Vaughn, the bat many Brewers fans expected to see in the DH spot against a lefty, is on the bench.
That part is going to draw the loudest reaction, but there’s a method behind it.
When Murphy explained why Yelich got the DH assignment, he said, "I think Yeli's career speaks for itself, what he means to this team speaks for itself. He's had success against Ray.
He's swinging the bat good these last seven or eight days. There's been a lot of positives."
That’s the public-facing version, and it makes sense. Yelich is the captain, he’s been swinging it well, and Murphy is clearly comfortable putting him in a spot where he can set the tone. But the real chess move is what Milwaukee is protecting for later.
Ray is not expected to go deep, and the Padres can turn to a bullpen that includes two dangerous lefties in Yuki Matsui and Adrian Morejon. That matters.
If Vaughn starts as the DH and Yelich sits, Milwaukee could get boxed into a bad late-game situation once San Diego starts cycling through arms. The Brewers would rather hold Vaughn back as a pinch-hitting option for a later inning than spend one or two early at-bats on Ray and lose that flexibility when the Padres bring in another left-handed reliever.
It’s a classic October tradeoff: give up a little now to keep the better matchup waiting in the wings. If Ray were expected to last deep enough to face the lineup three times, the calculation might look different. But with Milwaukee anticipating a shorter outing from the San Diego starter, the Brewers are choosing to chase the more favorable late-game swing.
In Other News...
Brewers Hold On After Wild Ninth Inning Call Sparks Padres Fury
A bizarre ninth-inning moment at American Family Field became the defining flashpoint of Game 1 of the National League Division Series, when Ty France sent a fly ball high enough to strike a cable on the roof before Jackson Chourio made the catch for the Brewers. The umpires ruled it an out under the ballparks ground rules, deciding the ball had hit over fair territory, and the call immediately turned a tense postseason game into the kind of replay-worthy controversy that tends to linger long after the final pitch.
For Milwaukee, the ruling helped preserve a hard-fought win, but it also left the Padres simmering over how the final inning unfolded. Craig Stammen and Pat Murphy both addressed the play afterward, along with players involved, as the odd sequence became less about the mechanics of a ruling and more about the pressure-cooker reality of October baseball, where a single strange bounce can reshape a whole series opener. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Misiorowski's Wild NLDS Start Left Brewers Fans With One Concern
Jacob Misiorowskis NLDS debut gave Brewers fans exactly the kind of electricity they have come to expect from the rookie right-hander, and then some. In Game 1 against the Padres, he reached a new velocity peak with a 104.8 mph pitch and kept the fastball coming, piling up 52 pitches at 100 mph or harder while working four innings and striking out six.
For Milwaukee, the appeal is obvious. Misiorowskis stuff can change a series in a hurry, and he left the opener having allowed two runs on four hits and a walk before the Brewers turned to the bullpen with the game still hanging in the balance. The only real question now is how that kind of effort shapes what comes next, because outings like that can be a weapon and a warning at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Willson Contreras Just Changed An Early Brewers Playoff Storyline
The Brewers opened their NL Division Series with a tight 3-2 win over the Padres, and the biggest swing came from a familiar face who had been at the center of a late-season flashpoint. Willson Contreras delivered the go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning after Jackson Chourio had already dragged Milwaukee back into the game with a tying two-run shot earlier, giving the Brewers the kind of timely power they have been chasing as October pressure ramps up.
Contreras performance carries extra weight because manager Pat Murphy benched him late in the regular season over a lack of hustle, a decision that had left his role under the microscope going into the postseason. Instead of letting that become the headline, Contreras answered in the first game that mattered most, giving Milwaukee an early playoff storyline built around response, not resentment, even if the full impact of that turnaround is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]