The Milwaukee Brewers will open the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday at American Family Field. The Padres secured their spot by sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-three Wild Card Series.
The Brewers finished the regular season with 103 victories, the finest record in franchise history. They have the week to finalize their NLDS roster, particularly regarding their pitching staff.
Manager Pat Murphy has acknowledged the Padres' recent dominance. The Padres have beaten the Brewers more than Milwaukee has beaten them in each of the past three seasons. This season, the Padres swept the Brewers in a three-game series in August, during which Milwaukee's hitters went 3-for-28 with 12 strikeouts with runners in scoring position.
The Brewers lost their regular season series with the Padres for three consecutive years. Their road record against San Diego at Petco Park stands at 2-8 during that span.
Pitcher Jacob Misiorowski went 4-0 in his starts against the Cubs and is expected to pitch Game 1 of the NLDS for the Brewers.
Murphy confirmed that left-handers Robert Gasser and Shane Drohan are already on the roster. The team is evaluating which young left-handed starting pitchers to include, and is also considering adding right-handed veteran Dustin May. If Kyle Harrison joins the roster, the Brewers would have a strong contingent of left-handers that would also include leverage relievers Aaron Ashby, JoJo Romero, and DL Hall. Logan Henderson is throwing a simulated game on Tuesday as part of his preparation.
