The Milwaukee Brewers don’t have a long checklist to work through before Game 1 of the World Series, but they do have one lineup call that stands out.
Friday’s opener against the Tampa Bay Rays is set for American Family Field, and Milwaukee still doesn’t have to turn in its World Series roster until Friday morning. The one roster question that matters most is whether Brandon Woodruff makes the cut. Beyond that, manager Pat Murphy’s biggest choice for Game 1 comes down to how he fills right field and third base.
That has been the pattern through the playoffs already. The Brewers have rotated those spots based on the opposing starter, and that decision could again hinge on matchup.
Milwaukee has already said Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 1, while Tampa Bay has yet to announce its starter. Drew Rasmussen looks like the clear favorite, and if he gets the ball, that would point Milwaukee toward David Hamilton and Luis Lara in the lineup.
Rasmussen is a right-hander, and Tampa Bay’s rotation is packed with righties, which gives Hamilton and Lara the edge in that setup. Even so, Joey Ortiz and Sal Frelick aren’t out of the picture. Milwaukee will need to choose its spots carefully to keep everyone fresh and available as the series unfolds.
If Rasmussen is indeed on the mound Friday night, the Brewers should lean into Hamilton and Lara from the start and sort out the rest from there.
Outside of that, Game 1 doesn’t bring a pile of major choices for Milwaukee. Misiorowski is set.
The roster should stay mostly familiar, with the possible exception of Woodruff. In fact, the Brewers used the same 26-man roster in the NLDS and the NLCS.
The bigger story is the matchup itself. Rasmussen is the expected Game 1 arm for Tampa Bay, and Brewers fans likely won’t have to wait long to see former Milwaukee pitcher Freddy Peralta, who is expected in Game 2 or Game 3.
Milwaukee has had plenty of time to get ready after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. The Brewers last played on Oct. 15 against Los Angeles, and Friday will finally bring them back onto the field.
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Maddons preference adds another layer to a conversation the Brewers have every reason to take seriously, especially with the first pitch scheduled for 8 PM ET. Misiorowski brings the raw upside that can swing a series, but Maddon leaned toward Rasmussen because of his bigger-game poise, leaving the Brewers with a choice that says plenty about how they want to set the tone from the start. [Read more 🡒]