The Milwaukee Brewers have advanced to the NLCS despite not having a clear ace, and that leads to a tremendous amount of uncertainty over who they will have on the mound in certain spots in the playoffs. Some of the mystery surrounding their pitching situation may be created for strategy purposes, and it sounds like that is becoming a bit of an issue.
MLB teams are not technically required to name their starting pitcher until lineup cards are exchanged, but teams almost always give each other at least 24 hours notice. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Milwaukee’s delay in announcing starters is “drawing the attention of rival clubs and Major League Baseball” and could result in a rule being implemented that requires teams to announce their starting pitchers a certain amount of time in advance during the postseason.
The Brewers plan to announce their starters for Game 1 and 2 on Thursday, but Rosenthal notes that there could be an “embarrassing back-and-forth” if they decide to hold off. The Dodgers could then refuse to name their starter for a particular game until the last second, though it is believed they would only do that if they think Milwaukee is trying to gain a competitive advantage.
To this point, the Brewers’ unique strategy of using their bullpen in non-traditional spots has paid off.
