Milwaukee Finalizes Roster for High-Stakes NLDS Showdown
The Milwaukee Brewers have officially finalized their roster for the upcoming National League Division Series, setting the stage for a best-of-five matchup against the San Diego Padres. The series is scheduled to begin on Saturday night at Miller Park, where Milwaukee will look to leverage its home-field advantage after securing the top seed in the National League.
The Brewers finalized their NLDS roster on Saturday morning, revealing a team constructed to address both offensive depth and pitching stability. The lineup features catchers William Contreras and Gary Sanchez, while the outfield corps includes Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, and Christian Yelich. In the infield, Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, and Cooper Pratt have been selected to provide versatility and power.
On the mound, Logan Henderson is set to start the first two games of the series for Milwaukee. He will be joined in the rotation by Kyle Harrison, Dustin May, Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan, D.L. Hall, and Chad Patrick. The bullpen has been bolstered by Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Antonio Senzatela, JoJo Romero, and Aaron Ashby to handle late-inning situations.
Historical Struggles Against San Diego
The Brewers face a familiar adversary in the Padres, who have given them the most trouble of any team over the last three years. Milwaukee holds a 6-13 record against San Diego during this span, including a 2-4 mark in the current year. This struggle stands in stark contrast to their overall performance under manager Pat Murphy.
Milwaukee owns the best regular-season record in the majors during Murphy's three-year tenure, yet they have found it difficult to overcome San Diego specifically. According to Sportradar data cited by NBC Sandiego, the only other teams with winning records against Milwaukee over the last three seasons are the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees.
Padres manager Bob Melvin has noted that San Diego has won 20 of its last 23 games overall, while Milwaukee has won 15 of 18 heading into the series. The Padres were under .500 in late July before closing the season on a significant tear, ultimately sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card Series to reach this point.
"They’re playing so well and they’re super talented, a super talented, confident team right now with, we all know, the best bullpen in baseball, with some real megastars in the lineup... And they’re rolling," Murphy stated regarding his opponent's current form.
Pitching Matchups and Young Talent
Game 1 features Brewers Cy Young Award front-runner Jacob Misiorowski starting against Padres pitcher Robbie Ray, a 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner. Game 2 is expected to feature a matchup between San Diego’s Michael King and Milwaukee's Logan Henderson.
Misiorowski enters the postseason with impressive credentials, having won 16 games with a 1.80 ERA and 6.5 WAR in 30 starts. He struck out 252 batters in 174 2/3 innings during the regular season. This will be his first playoff start, though he has experience on the big stage; last year, he went 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in three postseason relief appearances. In his lone career appearance against the Padres, he struck out 10 and allowed four hits and no walks in seven innings.
The series could feature as many as five starting position players under the age of 24: San Diego’s Ethan Salas and Jackson Merrill, and Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio, Cooper Pratt, and Luis Lara. Salas became the youngest catcher to play a postseason game when he started Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. Additionally, Milwaukee’s top two starting pitchers, Misiorowski and Henderson, are both 24, while San Diego’s bullpen includes 22-year-old Bradgley Rodriguez.
Looking Past Last Year's Disappointment
The stakes are high for Milwaukee, which has reached the postseason eight of the last nine years but has only made one World Series appearance in franchise history, in 1982. San Diego is making its fourth straight playoff appearance but has also reached the World Series just twice, in 1984 and 1998.
Last October, Milwaukee beat the Chicago Cubs in a five-game NLDS before being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. The loss to the Dodgers remains a focal point for the current roster as they prepare for this new challenge.
"When I think back to last year, I think there was an element of maybe a little bit of lack of belief that we could do it, maybe a little too much doubt... going into this postseason there’s a different feeling around the team," Brewers infielder Jake Bauers said.
Xander Bogaerts echoed the sentiment about the difficulty of facing San Diego. "You have to bring your ‘A’ game, because they’re just a team that’s a headache... They play good defense, run the bases, a lot of guys with speed," Bogaerts stated.
Milwaukee went 103-59 to earn home-field advantage throughout the postseason for a second straight year. The team will now look to translate their regular-season dominance into playoff success against a Padres squad that has historically been their kryptonite.