Brewers-Padres NLDS Opens With Misiorowski-Ray Pitching Matchup

Milwaukee and San Diego begin a first-ever postseason meeting at American Family Field, with NL ERA and strikeout leader Jacob Misiorowski opposing lefty Robbie Ray.

Milwaukee's American Family Field stages the opening game of the National League Division Series between the Brewers and the Padres, a matchup the postseason had never previously produced. Coverage of Game 1 runs on FS1, with a radio broadcast on WTMJ.

The Brewers come in rested after a week without games, time the club spent on workouts, simulated games and other preparation ahead of the Division Series.

Jacob Misiorowski draws the Game 1 assignment for Milwaukee after pacing the National League with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, production that puts him at the front of the Cy Young Award conversation. Left-hander Robbie Ray counters for San Diego, bringing a 3.59 ERA from 30 starts this year. Ray came over from the San Francisco Giants in a deadline trade and posted a 5.02 ERA across his nine starts in a Padres uniform.

Ray's potential workload is an open question. Getting past the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round required San Diego to lean on its two best starters, and it remains to be seen how much of Game 1 the left-hander will be asked to handle against Milwaukee's lineup.

Manager Pat Murphy made a headline decision at designated hitter, choosing Christian Yelich over Andrew Vaughn even with a southpaw on the other side. Asked about the reasoning, Murphy replied, "I don't think there's calculus involved in that one," pointing to Yelich's career-long production as the deciding factor. Injuries shaped the rest of the card: Jake Bauers is still working through toe and shin problems, and while a fully fit Bauers could have taken the outfield and moved Vaughn to first base, Murphy chose against the "risk of less defense," keeping Bauers at first and stationing Lara in right.

Cooper Pratt received an elevated assignment as well, hitting in the six spot for the first start of his career above seventh. A .315 average and .794 OPS across the previous 28 days earned him the bump. "You're considering the other team, your own team, your individual player, his psyche, the options it gives you later, the mindset of who's pitching," Murphy said. "We feel like with what we're facing, Cooper is the best option there and letting Joey [Ortiz] hit down in the order."

San Diego's order distributes four left-handed bats through the lineup: Dustin Harris second, Jackson Merrill fifth, Ethan Salas seventh and Jake Cronenworth ninth. Sandwiched between them are some of the Padres' biggest bats in Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Ty France, Xander Bogaerts and Luis Campusano.

Brandon Woodruff offered a pregame health update, saying throws off a mound are coming soon even though he does not have an exact date. His earliest possible return this season would line up with a Brewers run to the World Series.

The series stays put next time out: San Diego visits Milwaukee on Sunday, October 4, at American Family Field, with first pitch at 4:00 PM EDT on FS1.