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Brewers Doing Something For First Time All Year In Game 3 Of World Series
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- Brewers Doing Something For First Time All Year In Game 3 Of World Series
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy
The Milwaukee Brewers will face Freddy Peralta and the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series on Wednesday, marking the third straight right-handed starter they will face in the series.
It is the fourth time in a row the Brewers will face a right-handed starter, dating back to Tyler Glasnow in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Against the Rays, the Brewers have kept the same lineup in both games, and on Monday, for the first time all season, they will roll the same lineup out for a third straight game.
In Game 2, every starter but David Hamilton got a hit, and there is not much reason to change things if they are working. Throughout the season and this postseason, Pat Murphy has relied on Andrew Vaughn, Luis Lara and Joey Ortiz as platoon starters against left-handed starters.
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With three straight righties, Ortiz, Vaughn and Lara have been on the bench. The fact that they are on the bench is not too shocking, even though Vaughn is one of the better hitters on the team against righties as well. What is shocking is how they have not really come off the bench to hit.
In Game 1, Murphy lifted Sal Frelick late to give Gary Sánchez an at-bat. Ortiz and Lara have both been used as defensive replacements. Murphy let Frelick hit against a left-handed pitcher late in Game 2, and he paid it off with a home run to tie the game.
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Despite having Lara, who plays elite defense in all three outfield spots, Garrett Mitchell has been allowed to face lefties as well, and has been good.
The Rays may not start a southpaw at all in this series, so Vaughn, Lara and Ortiz may not start at all. However, it's hard to imagine at least Vaughn not getting to hit in a big spot. Had it not been for Bauers showing out while Vaughn was hurt, he was likely going to be the everyday first baseman.
The only problem is Vaughn would likely have to hit for Christian Yelich, who has been great in October. However, Murphy has started Vaughn over him twice, and it may not be far-fetched to see Vaughn in a big spot over Yelich.
If Bauers were not banged up, it's very possible that he would have been starting in right field against lefties and Vaughn would be at first base, or that Vaughn could pinch-hit for anyone in the lineup and go to first, moving Bauers to right field and allowing the Brewers to make switches to get everyone else in the right spot.
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