Brewers Starting Lineup for Game 1 vs. Rays: What Changed and What Matters

The Milwaukee Brewers released their starting lineup for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Here's how it shakes out.

1. LF Jackson Chourio
2. 1B Jake Bauers
3. DH Christian Yelich
4. C William Contreras
5. 2B Brice Turang
6. CF Garrett Mitchell
7. SS Cooper Pratt
8. RF Sal Frelick
9. 3B David Hamilton
SP Jacob Misiorowski

Facing a right-handed starting pitcher, the Brewers are loading their lineup with left-handed hitters. Six of their nine hitters are lefties.

Milwaukee hopes to take a 1-0 lead in the World Series. They'll send their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, to the mound. He'll face Nick Martinez in a starting pitching matchup of contrasting styles. Misiorowski is the hardest-throwing starter in MLB and can blow away hitters, while Martinez relies on deception and an elite changeup to limit loud contact.

The game's broadcast on FOX and FOX One will start at 8 p.m. ET.

Takeaways from Brewers Game 1 Lineup vs. Rays

The biggest takeaway is that the Brewers are shaking up the top of their lineup. They'll face Nick Martinez, a soft-tossing right-hander who's exceptional at limiting loud contact. Milwaukee is moving up Jake Bauers and Christian Yelich while moving down Brice Turang and William Contreras.

Bauers is moving up in the order after being named the NLCS MVP. The 31-year-old went 4-for-14 at the plate with some of the biggest at-bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers. For his efforts, he moves up from the cleanup spot to the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Yelich has also hit well in the postseason. He enters the World Series with a .292/.370/.333 slash in 27 plate appearances this October. The Brewers will move their captain to a more prominent spot in the lineup after hitting fifth in his two NLCS starts, including a two-hit day in Game 2.

Despite the reverse platoon splits, the Brewers will go with their primary right-hander lineup. Sal Frelick and David Hamilton will start in right field and third base.

Considering that all four starters/bulk pitchers for the Rays are right-handed, this is going to be the consistent lineup for the Brewers all series. Tampa Bay may start a left-hander as an opener for Game 4 ahead of Griffin Jax.

What the Brewers Can Expect From Nick Martinez

Martinez's signature pitch is his changeup. While he's not missing a lot of bats, he still generated a 30.7% whiff rate on his primary offspeed offering. For the regular season, the Rays All-Star carries reverse platoon splits. Left-handed hitters are slashing .236/.266/.393 compared to a .267/.295/.410 mark from their right-handed counterparts.

The key for the Brewers is to try to win the count battle against Martinez and not let him get to his one putaway offering. Getting in more hitter-friendly counts will help their cause, but the right-hander is exceptional at pulling the string. Milwaukee hitters can't afford to miss the one hittable fastball strike they might get in their at-bats.