Brewers postseason FAQ: What's next?

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers clinched a postseason berth with eight games to go in the regular season and a division title with five games to go, but it took until the final day to learn their opponent in the National League Wild Card Series. It will be Brewers vs. D-backs at American Family Field beginning Tuesday at 6:08 p.m. CT.

Milwaukee is the division champion for the third time in the past six seasons, and Brewers ace Corbin Burnes thinks this could be the year.

“Hopefully, this is the run that nets the World Series win,” Burnes said. “I think everyone has seen the way we’ve played baseball the last month and a half. There’s no real weaknesses throughout our lineup, our bullpen, defensively.

"We’ve played well on all fronts. I think that’s something we realize as a team we can do day in and day out.”

Here’s a look at some of the questions ahead:

What could the postseason roster look like?
After playing with a 28-man roster in September, teams revert to 26 players, with a maximum of 13 pitchers, in each round of the postseason, with rosters due the morning of each Game 1. The biggest variable is the breakdown of pitchers and hitters; some teams might go with as few as 10 pitchers in a best-of-three series, and others might max out at 13.

Most of the Brewers' discussions have been about carrying 11 pitchers and 15 position players, or 12 pitchers and 14 position players. The news Monday that starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff will miss at least the opening round of the postseason throws a wrench into the plan. We'll err on the side of the extra arm, given his absence.

C: William Contreras, Victor Caratini
1B: Carlos Santana, Rowdy Tellez
2B: Brice Turang, Andruw Monasterio
3B: Josh Donaldson
SS: Willy Adames
OF: Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, Tyrone Taylor, Christian Yelich
DH: Mark Canha
SP: Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Wade Miley
RP: Devin Williams, Joel Payamps, Abner Uribe, Hoby Milner, Trevor Megill, Elvis Peguero, Bryse Wilson, Colin Rea, Andrew Chafin

What are the question marks in the roster projection?
Besides the pitcher/position player breakdown, health is a question mark for a couple of those players, particularly outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who beat the odds by making it back in time for a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville, then beat them again when the Brewers activated him from the 60-day injured list on Thursday. He referred to his three games in the final week of the regular season as a "showcase" to prove he warrants a postseason roster spot.

The other injury concern is reliever Elvis Peguero, who served as Milwaukee’s seventh-inning man for much of the season. He was used cautiously late in the season before finally landing on the IL on Sept. 20 with swelling around his right elbow. Barring a last-minute setback, he'll be on the roster.

Let's assume Mitchell and Peguero both make the roster. There are still major question marks about the final spots. Jesse Winker had a .567 OPS for the Brewers this season and he hadn't played in the Majors since July 24 before he landed on the IL with a back issue. But he's a left-handed hitter who delivers a quality at-bat. Winker has been with the Brewers this week for workouts and batting practice to stay sharp, and he's a candidate for the postseason roster, manager Craig Counsell said.

For more versatility, Milwaukee could choose between utility players Owen Miller and Abraham Toro. They were both at the Brewers' workout at American Family Field on Monday, along with outfielder Joey Wiemer.

When do the playoffs start?
The Brewers will face the D-backs in a best-of-three Wild Card Series from Tuesday-Thursday, with all of the games at Milwaukee’s American Family Field.

What time is the game?
The first pitch of Games 1 and 2 will be at 6:08 p.m. CT. Game 3, if necessary, is also set for 6:08 p.m. CT, but could move earlier if other series are completed in fewer than three games.

This is a general piece of advice for postseason game times: Be patient. It is by far the most common question of the MLB postseason, and the answer very often is "to be determined." MLB sets game times only after the entire slate of matchups for a given postseason round is set, so there is usually little advance notice. That can be understandably challenging for fans attending games in person, especially for midweek, midday time slots which the Brewers very often get. The moment the league announces game times, you'll find them on MLB.com.

What does the regular season tell us about facing the D-backs?
The Brewers lost each of their two series against the D-backs this year and saw firsthand why starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly make Arizona a tricky opponent in a three-game series. Each made a pair of starts against Milwaukee, and they combined to go 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA, holding the Brewers to 10 hits, with 29 strikeouts in 27 innings. For this series, Gallen and Kelly will likely pitch Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3. Rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt will open the series against Milwaukee.

Of course, the Brewers will counter with Burnes and Freddy Peralta, but they will be without the services of Woodruff because of his right shoulder injury. Counsell said Woodruff's availability for potential future series is "up in the air."

Only Burnes has faced the D-backs this season, and it was a tale of two starts. He scattered three hits and didn’t walk a batter while striking out eight in eight scoreless innings on April 11 in Phoenix. Then he surrendered seven runs on eight hits over five innings in Milwaukee on June 19.