MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers punched their postseason ticket for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Then they locked up the NL Central, set a franchise record for victories and secured the first 100-win season in franchise history along with MLB’s No. 1 overall seed heading into October, which means home-field advantage all the way through the World Series.
Now their first October matchup is set. Game 1 of the NLDS will be at American Family Field on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT against the Padres, after San Diego swept the Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series.
Here are some of the questions facing the Crew:
What could the postseason roster look like?
After playing with a 28-man roster in September, teams revert to 26 players with a maximum of 13 pitchers in each round of the postseason -- though in the early rounds, few clubs carry the maximum number of pitchers. Last year, the Brewers carried 12 pitchers into Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cubs and are leaning toward the same configuration this year. Rosters are due the morning of Game 1 of each round.
C: William Contreras, Gary Sánchez
1B: Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers
2B: Brice Turang
3B: Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton
SS: Cooper Pratt
OF: Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, Luis Lara, Brandon Lockridge
DH: Christian Yelich
SP: Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson
RP: Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby (L), Chad Patrick, JoJo Romero (L), Antonio Senzatela, DL Hall (L), Robert Gasser (L), Shane Drohan (L), Kyle Harrison (L)
What are the question marks in that projection?
Misiorowski and Henderson will start the first two games, and they have been lined up back-to-back for some time. But who would be the third starter in light of May’s recent funk? The Brewers made liberal use of the opener strategy in last year’s postseason (Ashby started three of the nine games in the NLDS and NLCS, and Megill also got a start), so that’s a real possibility again this year.
Kyle Harrison is a huge question mark given his velocity drop and recent struggles, although he ended his regular season on a high note with two sharp innings against the Cardinals on Sept. 26. It could be a tossup between May and Harrison depending on the opponent in the first round, and based on manager Pat Murphy’s noncommittal response about May following his final start, we changed this projection to include Harrison along with lefty starter Drohan, who will be part of the NLDS roster “come hell or high water,” Murphy said. Yes, it means a lot of lefties.
“We’ve already been doing work,” said president of baseball operations Matt Arnold in the champagne- and beer-soaked clubhouse at PNC Park on the night the team clinched the division. “Don’t worry about us doing work. We’ll be ready.”
Who is eligible for the postseason roster?
Generally speaking, any player who was on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list as of 11 a.m. CT on Sept. 1 is eligible for the postseason. But there’s a loophole.
A player who doesn't meet that criteria can still be added to a team's postseason roster via petition to the Commissioner's Office -- if the player was in the organization on Aug. 31 and is replacing someone who is on the injured list and has served the minimum amount of time required for activation. Essentially, that means any player who was in the organization as of Aug. 31 is eligible should a need arise. A full explanation is available in our MLB.com glossary.
When do the playoffs start?
The Division Series round begins Saturday, after the Brewers spent this week working out and playing scrimmages at American Family Field from Tuesday-Friday, starting with a live batting practice for Henderson on Tuesday. It’s a balance of giving players the rest they need while keeping the club sharp.
“Last year, the bye week helped,” Yelich said. “We really needed that. We weren’t playing good, and guys were out of gas and exhausted.”
You’ll find the most up-to-date information about schedules and potential matchups at MLB.com/postseason.
When do postseason tickets go on sale?
Wisconsin residents got the first crack at single-game tickets to postseason games via Brewers.com before tickets went on sale to the general public last week. Keep an eye on brewers.com/postseason for the latest.
What time are the games?
This is always the No. 1 question, so we’ll repeat our best advice from recent years: Be patient and be flexible. Major League Baseball often does not set a schedule until the full slate of matchups is set, which can be tricky for fans traveling great distances to games. Consider it part of the thrill of October.
As of Wednesday night, we knew only the times for Games 1 and 2 of this series (Game 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Sunday. The instant that game times are set for the remainder of the series, you’ll find them at MLB.com/postseason.
What does the regular season tell us about potential foes?
Here are the Brewers’ records and run differentials against the teams still in the playoffs:
NL
Braves: 3-3, +5
Dodgers: 4-3, -2
Padres: 2-4, -5
Phillies: 4-2, +14
AL
Guardians: 2-1, +4
Rays: 2-1, +9
White Sox: 3-0, +19
Yankees: 3-0, +8
Are there any injuries that could impact plans?
The biggest concern as the regular season came to a close was Ortiz, who was dealing with oblique, groin and right knee injuries during the final weekend that required an MRI scan. The results were encouraging, and the Brewers are optimistic he’ll be good to go for Game 1 of the NLDS. They also had some illness in the clubhouse, with Pratt still slowed from the bug that forced him to miss the division clinch celebration and Vaughn knocked down so hard during the final road series in Philadelphia that he landed on the 10-day injured list. Both are expected to be back to 100 percent by Game 1.
On the pitching front, with the return of Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson from rehab assignments, the Brewers went into the final week of the regular season in pretty good shape healthwise. Their biggest remaining question mark is Brandon Woodruff, who hasn’t closed the door on an October return from his latest shoulder setback. The Brewers will make a decision soon about whether Woodruff will try throwing off a mound. It remains an extreme long shot, said Murphy.