NL wild-card preview: Can Yelich-less Brewers beat Nats' Scherzer?

The National League wild-card game is set, with the Washington Nationals ready to host the Milwaukee Brewers, who came within one win of the NL pennant last year.

The 93-win Nationals - who finished with a better record than the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals - have officially tabbed Max Scherzer to take the bump, setting up a tall task for the visiting Brewers, who are without reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich.

Meanwhile, the Brewers will counter with Brandon Woodruff, who's proven he can miss bats at an elite rate, but whose season was derailed by injuries.

What's on the line? An appointment in the division series against the defending NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here's what you need to know:

How to watch

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 1
Time: 8:08 p.m. ET
Network: TBS

Projected lineups

Nationals

Expect Brian Dozier to pinch-hit for Adam Eaton in the event the Brewers deploy a tough lefty - like Josh Hader - from the bullpen. Against left-handers, Dozier has a .900 OPS this season with seven homers in 118 at-bats. Yan Gomes or Ryan Zimmerman could also serve in that role, after Kurt Suzuki and Howie Kendrick got the start over them.

Brewers

It's questionable whether or not Lorenzo Cain will be healthy enough to start after suffering a sprained ankle during the second last game of the season. However, he is listed as likely.

Another thing to remember is that Craig Counsell is a wily manager, and used his wit last year to great results. Whether or not Woodruff even makes his first at-bat or if the team quickly deploys its bullpen remains to be seen. However, it should be noted Woodruff can swing it, memorably blasting a game-tying solo dinger off Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS.

Nats turned it around in time

After stumbling out of the gate, the Nationals got their season back on track in a big way. Since being 10 games back on May 23 with a 19-31 record, Washington is tied for the best record in baseball with the Dodgers at 74-38.

Anthony Rendon - who's headed for free agency this winter - was the third-best position player in baseball after the All-Star break, according to FanGraphs, hitting .336/.438/.585 with 14 homers and four stolen bases while accruing 3.8 WAR.

Meanwhile, on the pitching side, Stephen Strasburg has been absolutely stupendous while serving as a forgotten man behind Scherzer and offseason acquisition Patrick Corbin. His 2.4 WAR in the second half ranks 11th among starters, while he posted a 2.91 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, and 30.4% strikeout rate.

Something important to know heading into the game is that both Strasburg and Corbin will be available out of the bullpen for Davey Martinez, who has struggled to deploy any reliever - including Sean Doolittle - with any effectiveness this year. Washington's relief corps combined for an NL-worst 5.68 ERA in 2019.

Hottest September club

Not to be outdone, the Brewers were the hottest team in baseball down the stretch. In the final month, they went 20-7 despite losing Yelich on Sept. 10.

A lot of that has been due to the signing of Yasmani Grandal - the most consistent hitter in the Brewers' lineup - who really turned it on in the final month, hitting .236/.398/.528 with seven home runs in September.

The best pitcher for Milwaukee in September, though, is harder to locate. Adrian Houser's 0.7 WAR and 2.80 FIP over that span leads the club, but his 4.44 ERA certainly left something to be desired.

Instead, their best pitchers were almost certainly in the bullpen. Expect them to lean heavily on their three-headed monster, which is comprised of Hader (1.88 ERA in September), Drew Pomeranz (2.03), and Brent Suter (0.49) at the first sign of a struggling Woodruff.

Important stats

Key hitter vs. opponent

2019 statistics

Season comparison

2019 statistics

Home/road splits

2019 statistics

Postseason comparison