MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers’ postseason ticket is punched for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The NL Central is locked up, too. So is a franchise record for victories and, as of Tuesday night, a first-round bye. Game 1 of the NLDS will be at American Family Field on Saturday, Oct. 3.
But even with all that, they still aren’t done.
Here are some of the questions and agenda items still ahead for 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, Dustin May
RP: Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby (L), Chad Patrick, JoJo Romero (L), Antonio Senzatela, DL Hall (L), Grant Anderson, Robert Gasser (L)
What are the question marks in that projection?
Misiorowski and Henderson are locks to start, and have been lined up back-to-back for some time. But who would be the third starter in light of May’s recent funk? May still sounds like the leading candidate, but 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 Trevor Megill also got a start).
Kyle Harrison is a huge question mark given his velocity drop and recent struggles, including another shaky outing in high-leverage relief on Sept. 20 in Baltimore, so we amended this projection to leave him out for the Division Series round and will make further changes as the plan becomes clearer. Anderson is also a wild card after landing on the injured list in early September, though he rejoined the team on Tuesday. And is there a role for rookie left-hander Shane Drohan?
The Brewers tried him out in a pair of high-leverage relief situations on this road trip, and he rose to the occasion both times.
Some of those answers could come down to matchups. The Phillies’ most dangerous hitters are left-handed. The Cubs (Pete Crow-Armstrong aside) and Padres lean more right-handed.
“We’ve already been doing work,” said president of baseball operations Matt Arnold in the champagne- and beer-soaked clubhouse at PNC Park. “Don’t worry about us doing work. We’ll be ready. But we’re going to enjoy the heck out of this one.”
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.
What’s left to play for?
A lot. After clinching a postseason berth on Sept. 11, the division on Sept. 15 and a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NLDS on Sept. 22, the Brewers still have to hold off the Dodgers and Rays for postseason seeding purposes. After jockeying with other clubs in the middle of the season, the Brewers took over MLB’s best record on Aug. 15 and have held it ever since. If they can finish atop everyone for the second straight season, it would mean home-field advantage as far as they can go.
“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.”
When do the playoffs start?
The NL and AL Wild Card Series are best-of-three from Sept. 29-Oct. 1, but the Brewers ensured they will get to watch that from afar. The Division Series round begins Saturday, Oct. 3 for both leagues.
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 first-round postseason games via Brewers.com before tickets go on sale to the general public at noon CT on Wednesday, Sept. 23. 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.
The instant that game times are set, you’ll find them at MLB.com/postseason.
What does the regular season tell us about potential foes?
The latest “if the season ended today” matchups are constantly updated at MLB.com/postseason. Beyond that, here are the Brewers’ records and run differentials against the teams in playoff contention:
NL
Braves: 3-3, +5
Cubs: 9-4, +9
Dbacks: 4-2, +22
Dodgers: 4-3, -2
Padres: 2-4, -5
Phillies: 2-2, +7 (two games remaining)
AL
Astros, 2-1, -4
Blue Jays: 2-1, even
Guardians: 2-1, +4
Rangers: 2-1, +4
Rays: 2-1, +9
Red Sox: 1-2, -4
White Sox: 3-0, +19
Yankees: 3-0, +8
Are there any injuries that could impact plans?
With the return of 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.