The World Series begins tonight with the Brewers hosting the Rays. The action begins at 7 p.m. CT. Both clubs have submitted their 26-man squads for this match.
The Brewers are rolling with 13 pitchers and 13 position players. The big news is Brandon WoodruffWHO made the final edit after a long break. The veteran right-hander was recovering from a shoulder injury and hoped to be ready for the Fall Classic. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since early July. Milwaukee expressed concern over the possibility of replacing Woodruff on the roster if it made it and then suffered a setback. Apparently, these concerns have dissipated.
It will be Kyle Harrison And Shane Drohan filling out the back half of the pitching staff, with Woodruff taking Chad Patrickthis is the place. Drohan pitched one inning against the Dodgers in the NLCS. Harrison and Patrick didn’t throw at all. Antonio Senzatela was also used sparingly, pitching twice in the NLDS then not at all in the final round. The Brewers relied heavily on Trevor Megill, Abner UribeAnd Aaron Ashbywho combined for 18 appearances. Ashby has already covered 12 1/3 innings, which ranks ninth among all pitchers in the postseason.
The strike group is unchanged for Milwaukee. Christian Yélich And Andrew Vaughn will probably stay in a peloton at DH. The matchup against the Rays favors the left-handed Yelich, given that Tampa Bay’s four-man rotation is entirely right-handed. Luis Lara And David Hamilton are on the bench as quick replacement/defensive options.
The Rays are sticking with 12 pitchers and 14 position players. The only change is to the left Garrett Cleaver replace Righty Brody Hopkins. Cleavinger was on the ALDS roster, but was replaced by Hopkins in the ALCS. After introducing the league to the opener concept, Tampa Bay reversed course, relying more on starting pitchers than other clubs in the postseason. This makes it easy to add an extra bat on the bench. Jorge Mateo was the only hitter not to receive an at-bat in the ALCS, although he appeared twice as a pinch runner.
Director Kevin Cash has frequently mixed and matched his platoon bats, with solid results. Richie Palacios had six hits in his three ALCS starts. Ryan Vilade homered in his only ALDS appearance. It will be the left-handers who will have priority during the first two matches, with the right-handers Jacob Misiorowski And Logan Henderson on the mound. Vilade and Ben Williamson could see opportunities every time he was left-handed Robert Gasser starts.
The Rays bullpen hasn’t been the containment unit of the past, but it is led by a breakout closer. Bryan Boulanger has become one of the best relievers in the league this year. He attached Cade Smith for the league lead with 41 saves in the regular season. Baker was even better in the postseason, pitching seven scoreless innings while recording five saves. He has only allowed three baserunners in his seven outings.
Here are the full squads for each team…
Milwaukee Brewers
Pitchers (* = left-handed): Aaron Ashby*, Shane Drohan*, Robert Gasser*, DL room*, Kyle Harrison*, Logan Henderson, Dustin May, Trevor Megill, Jacob Misiorowski, JoJo Romero*, Antonio Senzatela, Abner Uribe, Brandon Woodruff
Seekers: William Contreras, Gary Sanchez
Infielders: Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn
Voltigeurs: Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yélich
Tampa Bay Rays
Pitchers (* = left-handed): Bryan Boulanger, Cam Booster*, Garrett Cleaver*, Griffin Jax, Kevin Kelly, Nick Martinez, Steven Matz*, Freddy Peralta, Drew Rasmussen, Ian Seymour*, Cole Sulser, Tyler Wells
Seekers: Nick Fortes, Liam Hicks
Infielders: Jonathan Aranda, Caminero Junior, Yandy Diaz, Jorge Mateo, Richie Palacios, Taylor Walls, Ben Williamson
Voltigeurs: Johnny DeLuca, Victor Mesa Jr., Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Ryan Vilade
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images
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