Padres Announce Surprise Starting Pitcher for NLDS Game 1 vs Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers

The San Diego Padres swept the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card round, and are now facing another National League Central opponent in the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers were the best team in baseball this season, going 103-59 and finishing 14 games up on the Cubs in the NL Central.

The Padres did get the better of the Brewers in the regular season, going 4-2 against them including a three-game sweep at Petco Park in August.

Nevertheless, the Padres know what they're up against, and are getting set for what should be an electric best-of-five NL Division Series.

"It's going to be a tough series," manager Craig Stammen said after sweeping the wild-card on Wednesday. "The regular season is out the window. As we saw, the Cubs kicked our butt in the regular season, and we were able to handle them for two games. Anything can happen in a short series.

"They're going to be a tough opponent. Every game that we played with them was really close in the regular season. I anticipate something similar to that in this coming week."

Padres NLDS Game 1 Starter

In a bit of a surprise, the Padres are going with left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray in Game 1 instead of right-hander Walker Buehler.

Ray, 35, joined the Padres ahead of the trade deadline and made nine starts, sporting a 5.02 ERA with 33 strikeouts to 27 walks over 43 innings.

He's made six appearances (two starts) in his postseason career, accruing a 7.43 ERA over 13.1 innings.

Ray faced the Brewers on Aug. 12, allowing two runs over four innings with four strikeouts and three walks.

"Super thrilled for the opportunity and the trust that this team has put into me, that Craig has put into me," Ray said on Friday. "Obviously, a really good ballclub. I have to stick to my game plan and kind of be willing to adapt as well. I think especially with the hitters that they have, they're really good at putting the ball in play.

"For me, it's just relying on my defense and just pitching my best game."

Brewers NLDS Game 1 Starter

The Brewers were not just the best team in baseball, but they have arguably the best pitcher in baseball taking the mound in Game 1 in right-hander Jacob Misiorowski.

Misiorowski is the heavy favorite to win the NL Cy Young award after going 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts over 174.2 innings.

His 100.6 mph average fastball velocity and 37.6% strikeout percentage rank in the 100th percentile in MLB. He also mixes in a devastating cutter and slider, and an unhittable curveball.

"Obviously, you've got Misiorowski Game 1, who's a great pitcher. Top to bottom, they're a solid, solid team," said Gavin Sheets, who hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run on Wednesday.

"We're going to start in Milwaukee, it's going to be just like here, it's going to be rocking. But I think there's some momentum that gets built when you play these two games."

Misiorowski faced the Padres on May 13, pitching seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and just four hits allowed. The Padres, however, won that game, 3-1.

How to Watch Padres vs Brewers NLDS Game 1 on Saturday

First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers NLDS Game 1 on Saturday, Oct. 3 is 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

Add us as a preferred source on Google