2 pros and 2 cons of Brewers' lengthy layoff between NLCS and World Series

When the World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays begins Friday, October 23, it's safe to say Pat Murphy's squad will be well-rested. The Brewers have played just eight games this postseason and will have had seven full days off before the series begins -- a longer layoff than the league’s All-Star break in July.

Meanwhile, their opponent has played one extra game in October, but will enter the World Series on just three full days off. The difference is due to the fact that Tampa swept their first postseason matchup, an ALDS clash against their division rival in the New York Yankees, but had to play six games to defeat the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS, with a rainout altering the schedule and eliminating an off-day for travel in between Games 5 and 6.

That said, the question remains whether or not the extra rest helps or hurt the Brewers? There are arguments on both sides, so let’s examine two pros and two cons of the additional time off from playing and travel.

Pros to the Brewers' lengthy layoff between NLCS and World Series

1. Extra rest for Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson

Through their first two postseason series of the year, the Brewers have played just four games in each round, meaning they haven’t needed to start the same pitcher twice in one series. Against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, they went with Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, Dustin May, and Robert Gasser. In the NLCS against the Dodgers, Gasser took May’s spot in Game 3, while Shane Drohan opened a bullpen game in the series finale.

The time off not only gives the Brewers the chance to line up their rotation as they please once again, but it also gives extra rest to their young group of starters, several of whom have far exceeded their career highs in innings pitched in a single season. That extra rest could be just what they need to finish the season with a strong showing in the World Series. Misiorowski, for example, has generated fewer swings and misses with his fastball late in the regular season and throughout the postseason, in part due to natural late-season fatigue. The extra rest may restore the life on his fastball and make him more effective than he was in the NLDS and NLCS. Henderson, meanwhile, needs a mental reset after his NLCS performance. While the rookie right-hander pitched well, a pair of throwing errors to first base and a wild pitch cast a dark cloud over what was otherwise a solid showing.

2. Time for Brandon Woodruff, other injured players to recover

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the Brewers' week off between their NLCS sweep of the Dodgers and the first World Series game in Milwaukee in 44 years is the status of veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff. Having not pitched in a game since July 4, Woody was seen as something of a long shot to make the World Series roster when the postseason began, but an encouraging recent report from Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy of MLB.com makes a return in the Fall Classic feel very possible. Without these seven days between the NLCS and World Series, Woodruff's triumphant return to the mound in the World Series, which is by no means set in stone, wouldn't have even been conceivable.

Woodruff, however, is not the only ailing Brewers player who will benefit from the added rest. While their injuries didn't prevent them from being a part of the NLDS and NLCS, Jake Bauers, who is dealing with shin splints and a broken toe, Joey Ortiz, who missed the end of the regular season with knee and abdomen injuries, and Brice Turang, who battled a knee injury during the second half of the season, will undoubtedly benefit from the time off before the Fall Classic as well.

Cons to the Brewers' week-long break between NLCS and World Series

1. Historically, there is a mixed outlook on extra rest

This year, the Brewers became just the 12th team to reach the World Series by sweeping a best-of-seven League Championship Series, which began in 1985. As reported by MLB.com, the past 11 teams who have advanced to the World Series with a sweep, only four have gone on to win the Fall Classic. However, that trend appears to be changing, as the last three teams to sweep the LCS have gone on to win the World Series: the 2019 Nationals, 2022 Astros, and 2025 Dodgers.

There are undoubtedly concerns about how the long layoff will impact the Brewers' rhythm. The 2007 Rockies, who won 21 of 22 games leading up to the World Series, swept the NLCS, had eight days off before the Fall Classic, and hit a wall against the Red Sox when it eventually arrived, serve as a reminder that rest doesn't always help. That said, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about any individual team regarding how time off will affect them -- each team is different. A reason for encouragement for Brewers fans, however, is the fact that Pat Murphy's squad has endured the week off during the Wild Card Series in each of the last two years, and won the following NLDS both times.

2. Loss of momentum

Momentum in sports is real, especially during the MLB postseason, and a lengthy layoff could halt the momentum the Brewers built on their way to the World Series. After rolling through the postseason, an extended break could disrupt their rhythm and cause them to come out flat instead of carrying the confidence and energy from their sweep into the Fall Classic.

Where momentum generally shines through after a layoff in baseball is the offense. With timing having the important role that it does in hitting, a week off can certainly disrupt a batter's success at the plate. However, new inventions like the Trajekt machine that can simulate the arsenal of any opposing pitcher, which the Brewers and most other MLB teams make use of, have limited the concern of a long layoff disrupting a player's timing at the plate. Even still, the Brewers had all the momentum in the world after their NLCS sweep of the Dodgers, and it would be surprising if some of that didn't fade during the week off before the World Series.

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