Brewers keep NLCS roster intact with three fresh arms

Milwaukee kept all 26 players from its Division Series roster for the National League Championship Series, entering Sunday's opener against the Dodgers with three pitchers who did not work in the previous round.

The Brewers again chose 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Left-handers Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison and right-hander Chad Patrick did not pitch against San Diego, giving Milwaukee unused options after a three-day break between series.

That depth matters over a best-of-seven matchup. Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that Milwaukee wanted enough pitching coverage for a longer series. Arnold recalled the club stretching Junior Guerra through the 13th inning of an NLCS game at Dodger Stadium in 2018 when discussing the risk of running short.

The matchup also changes which arms could be useful. Paul Dietrich's Brew Crew Ball roster analysis noted that the Padres leaned heavily on right-handed hitters, while the Dodgers' regular lineup includes left-handed bats Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker. Dietrich identified the series length and those hitters as possible reasons Drohan and Harrison could see more work.

The Brewers retained William Contreras and Gary Sánchez behind the plate. Their six infielders are Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang and Andrew Vaughn. Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich complete the position-player group.

There are still lineup choices within that roster. Dietrich noted that Vaughn had only two plate appearances against the Padres, with Milwaukee often choosing Bauers at first base and a stronger defensive option in right field. How manager Pat Murphy balances those options against the Dodgers' left-handed starters remains a question for the series.

The NLCS begins at American Family Field at 8 p.m. Eastern on FOX. Both clubs start the series 0-0; the opening game had not begun at the evening research checkpoint.

Sources

MLB.com: Brewers NLCS roster · Brew Crew Ball: NLCS roster and matchup choices · ESPN: NLCS Game1