Pat Murphy makes big changes to his lineup ahead of Game 3 of NLDS against Cubs

Just three hours remain before the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs face off in Game 3 of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. Should the Crew come out victorious, they will make their third NLCS appearance in franchise history, with the added bonus of eliminating their division rivals from the postseason.

The pitching matchup is set; Quinn Priester will take the ball first for the Brewers, opposing Jameson Taillon of the Chicago Cubs. Notably, Taillon throws from the right side, which strays from the two southpaws that Craig Counsell threw the Brewers way in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS. However, given the way that Milwaukee's offense performed in the first two games of the series, many expected manager Pat Murphy to roll out the same lineup in Game 3, despite the change in the handedness of the opposing pitcher.

However, when Murphy released his Wednesday afternoon lineup just moments ago, the only player who will be hitting in the same position that he did in the first two games is shortstop Joey Ortiz, who will once again bat ninth in today's contest. Other than that, every single Brewers hitter finds themselves in a new spot in the batting order as they get set to take on Taillon starting at 4:08 p.m. CT.

Pat Murphy opts for Jake Bauers and Brandon Lockridge in his Game 3 lineup

The best news from today's lineup release is the fact that Jackson Chourio is batting second and playing left field. Dealing with a lingering hamstring injury, there was a slight concern that Chourio might not be able to play in today's game, but it never truly felt like the 21-year-old was in jeopardy of missing out on the Brewers’ chance to sweep the North Siders.

The most notable omission from the starting lineup is Andrew Vaughn, who hit a huge three-run homer in Monday night's win and has reached base four times in eight plate appearances through the team's first two playoff games. Murphy instead gives Jake Bauers the start at first base, despite Vaughn having better career numbers against Taillon in a relatively small sample size. The decision is likely based on Bauers' defensive acumen. With ground ball specialist Priester on the bump, first base will be a busy position today, and having Bauers' glove at the cold corner is certainly an upgrade over Vaughn's.

The attention then turns to Murphy's choice in center field. Trade deadline acquisition Brandon Lockridge gets the start today after switch-hitting Blake Perkins manned center field for the team's first two playoff games. Perkins is much better from the right side of the plate than the left, so with the right-handed Taillon on the mound today, it makes sense why Perkins is not in the starting lineup. Fans may have expected Isaac Collins to replace Perkins in the starting lineup, but such a decision would shift Chourio to center field, and given his hamstring injury, that would be a tall task.

One final thing to note is that Taillon has reverse splits, meaning, despite him being a right-handed pitcher, he performs better against left-handed hitters than right-handed ones. It's the result of an effective changeup that Taillon has improved significantly this season. His effectiveness against lefties could be another reason for Murphy opting for Lockridge over Collins, but it makes the choice of Bauers over Vaughn slightly more perplexing.

The Brewers have relied on their depth and defense all season long, and the postseason should be no different. Regardless of who is in the starting lineup, you can expect this team to come out with some energy this afternoon, knowing a trip to the NLCS is on the line.