After taking both games against the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card series, the San Diego Padres are set to face the No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series. Starting things off for the Padres will be left-hander Robbie Ray, who enters with a 13-8 record, 3.59 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Ray was acquired from the Giants mid-season, and since joining the Padres, he’s gone 3-2 with a 5.02 ERA. For the Brewers, Jacob Misiorowski will get the nod, entering with a 16-5 record, 1.80 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP.
The Brewers have struggled against the Padres this season, losing four of their six meetings. The good news for Milwaukee is that Misorowski dominated San Diego when he faced them on May 13, pitching seven scoreless innings while striking out 10. Ray also faced the Brewers on August 12, allowing two runs on two hits over four innings. Offensively, the Padres come into this series red hot, averaging 5.8 runs per game with a .280 batting average, while the Brewers are averaging 4.4 runs with a .246 average over that same span.
Even though the Brewers haven’t played in nearly a week, I don’t think the extended rest will impact them. Milwaukee went 18-6 in September and finished with an MLB-best 103-59 record, while Misiorowski led the league in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP. I like Misiorowski in this spot, as he’s been elite all season. Look for the Brewers to get to Ray early and for Misiorowski to roll as the Brewers win big in Game 1 at home.
Padres vs Brewers prediction: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (+106) at the time of publishing. Playable up to -110.
