MLB playoffs: NLDS, Brewers/Rockies, Game 1

The Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers kick off the MLB Playoffs in the NLDS in game 1 in Milwaukee.

For each game this postseason, you will find a “game thread” here on Call To The Pen. This will be a spot that you can count on fans of the game to be around for chat on the game as it happens throughout the MLB playoffs in the month of October, all the way through the World Series.

After both teams participated in a game 163 on Monday, the Brewers have been able to rest to prepare for this game, while the Rockies had to turn around and play again on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card to earn their spot in this series.

Both teams have dynamic offenses that can be explosive but can also disappear at times, leaning on their pitching. Interestingly, the strong pitching for the Colorado Rockies is in their rotation after spending heavily in their bullpen over the 2017/2018 offseason. The Brewers’ pitching focus is in their bullpen, which is one of the deepest in all of the game.

For the Brewers

The Brewers plan on dipping into that bullpen to open the MLB playoffs on Thursday. They’ve announced Brandon Woodruff as their starter Thursday against Colorado, and Woodruff has been working out of the bullpen most frequently.

While Woodruff’s stats on the 2018 season were mediocre (3.61 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 14/47 BB/K over 42 1/3 IP), his work in the final month of the season was electric as Woodruff pitched multiple innings as a reliever, making 7 appearances, throwing 12 1/3 innings, with a 0.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 3/16 BB/K ratio. He’ll likely get 2-3 innings max before turning things over, very feasibly to one of the other starters on the roster for another 2 innings before hopefully handing things off to that dominant back-end of the bullpen.

The Brewers announced lineup:
1. Lorenzo Cain, CF
2. Christian Yelich, RF
3. Ryan Braun, LF
4. Travis Shaw, 2B
5. Jesus Aguilar, 1B
6. Mike Moustakas, 3B
7. Manny Pina, C
8. Orlando Arcia, SS
9. Brandon Woodruff, P

For the Rockies

One of the brilliant young arms that debuted in 2017 for the Rockies, Antonio Senzatela did not have the same level of success in 2018 as he did in 2017 overall, owing some of that to injury and some to role.

Senzatela opened the 2018 season in the bullpen, but after a month, he was sent down. He returned in July, and he was even better than 2017 in his time as a starter from July to the end of the season, making 13 starts, tossing 73 innings, with a 3.95 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 24/55 BB/K ratio.

Over his final half-dozen starts, Senzatela has been even better, with 33 2/3 innings over 6 starts, posting a 2.94 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 10/27 BB/K ratio, giving the Rockies the confidence to give him the ball in the opening game of their MLB playoffs series.

The Rockies announced lineup:
1. Charlie Blackmon, CF
2. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
3. Nolan Arenado, 3B
4. David Dahl, LF
5. Trevor Story, SS
6. Carlos Gonzalez, RF
7. Ian Desmond, 1B
8. Chris Iannetta, C
9. Antonio Senzatela, P

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