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With the Padres having swept the Chicago Cubs in their “best-of-two” series, we're now in for a showdown at the top of the division series.
The San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers are two excellent teams in the National League. But who will win the best-of-five series between the two clubs?
The Pitchers
The biggest name on the mound is Jacob Misiorowski. The man who will likely win the Cy Young Award in the National League will be a real challenge for the Padres' hitters.
Seeing him pitch Game 1 will be special.
Logan Henderson will start Game 2… and the rest of the rotation is less clear. Dustin May could start Game 3, and names like Chad Patrick or Kyle Harrison are ones to watch.
We'll see as the series unfolds.
No surprise here: Jacob Misiorowski is the Brewers' probable starter for Game 1 and Logan Henderson for Game 2 of the NLDS, Pat Murphy said. Subject to change, he said, as is everything in life.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 29, 2026
In San Diego, Michael King and Nick Pivetta—who pitched against Chicago—are expected to start Games #2 and #3. But they won't be ready for Game #1.
Will Walker Buehler or Robbie Ray be options? Logically, yes.
In the bullpen, we know both teams have plenty of depth. This season, both bullpens rank in the top 5 in MLB in ERA.
The San Diego Padres used Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez, Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, and the returning Joe Musgrove against Chicago.
None of them allowed a run against Chicago's powerful offense. The only run was given up by Nick Pivetta.
In Milwaukee, No. 1 reliever Trevor Megill will be backed up by Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and JoJo Romero, to name just a few. There's plenty of talent in the bullpen in Wisconsin.
Position Players
The Padres' offense came through in the wild-card series. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado stole the show.
But Xander Bogaerts, Ty France, Jackson Merrill, Ethan Salas, and Gavin Sheets also stepped up. Everyone can do some damage.
In Milwaukee, the offense isn't built on home runs, but rather on the small ball. And these guys are capable of doing some damage.
Seven players (Brice Turang, William Conteras, Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, captain Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz) recorded at least 100 hits in 2026.
OUR CAPTAIN
Tonight and going forward, Christian Yelich will become the first player in franchise history to wear the captain's “C” on his jersey pic.twitter.com/L6Bodw7WHr
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 26, 2026
It remains to be seen whether the small ball approach will be successful against the Padres' pitchers. But since it's easier to hit a single than a home run off Mason Miller…
It should be interesting.
The Managers
Craig Stammen is a rookie manager, but he's done a good job of bringing his team back into the playoff race. He also handled things well against Chicago, even though Game 1 wasn't a tough one to manage.
Pat Murphy is really well-liked in Milwaukee. The Brewers' depth means that a lot of changes can happen during a game. Will he handle that well?
The Unpredictables
We're talking about two teams that have had the potential to make it to the World Series for years. But it just hasn't happened.
And now, one of them won't make it to the Division Series.
The Brewers want to put their 2025 Championship Series loss to L.A. behind them, and the Padres are starting to move past their defeat in the 2025 Wild Card Series.
So there's a lot at stake here.
Created by humans, assisted by AI.
