Pat Murphy prioritizes veteran trust over matchups, slotting Christian Yelich at DH against the San Diego Padres.
The Milwaukee Brewers have officially announced their lineup for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
Manager Pat Murphy has William Contreras catching for Jacob Misiorowski, a decision that comes as no surprise.
Backup catcher Gary Sanchez has hit lefties quite well this season, but Sanchez is not in the lineup against Padres' Robbie Ray.
Instead, Christian Yelich will be the designated hitter. Typically, Murphy doesn't have Yelich open as the DH against a left-handed starter, but Yelich has been named this franchise's first-ever captain for a reason, and this decision shows just how much trust Murphy has in the former MVP.
No Sanchez or Andrew Vaughn
Not only is Sanchez not in the lineup, but neither is Andrew Vaughn. Vaughn had been dealing with an illness that put him on the Injured List, but Murphy made it crystal clear he'd be good to go for the NLDS.
Putting Yelich as the DH is especially interesting knowing Vaughn is one of this team's best hitters against lefties.
Regardless, the Brewers infield will consist of Jake Bauers at first base, Brice Turang at second, Cooper Pratt at shortstop, and then Joey Ortiz at third base.
Ortiz is a full-go
The next biggest observation is the fact that Ortiz is indeed good to go for this series. He was announced as part of the roster earlier in the day, so that was step one, but now seeing him play banged up is another thing.
David Hamilton is on this roster for a reason, and while Ortiz is the better hitter and defender, Hamilton can bunt for base hits, and he brings solid defense and amazing speed to the table.
Should the opportunity present itself, Murphy will undoubtedly put Hamilton in the game as a pinch runner, and he'll obviously be on standby if Ortiz needs to be pulled from the game.
Will Brewers lineup pay off?
According to Brewers' Adam McCalvy, Murphy said Bauers isn't playing in the outfield because he's not quite at 100%. It's much easier having him play first, and that means Vaughn was the odd man out in this equation.
Still, there was a case to be made to at least have Vaughn be the DH until Ray is pulled from the game.
No matter what, Yelich has been a cornerstone of this franchise for these last nine seasons, so now it's his time to shine against the Padres.
