Roundup
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
Yelich’s timely triple powers Brewers in Game 1 win — NL Central roundup
Christian Yelich delivered a key triple in the Brewers’ 3-2 win over the Rays in World Series Game 1 on Friday night in Milwaukee.
By the PickALeague Newsroom · Published · Source: PickALeagueSummary written with AI assistance — how we workLire en français →
The NL Central runs through Milwaukee right now, and the Brewers wasted no time reminding everyone why. After a 103-59 regular season, they opened the World Series by edging the Rays in a tight Game 1 at home.
Brewers strike first in the Fall Classic
As reported by La Presse, the Brewers beat the Rays 3-2 on Friday in Milwaukee to take a 1-0 lead in the World Series. Christian Yelich came through with a triple in a key situation, providing the decisive offensive blow in a low-scoring opener.
CBS Sports noted before the game that Milwaukee had played only nine games in the previous 26 days, winning eight of them, a stretch that raised questions about potential rust. Their narrow victory in Game 1 suggests that extended downtime hasn’t dulled the NL Central champions.
On the roster front, MLB Trade Rumors reports that both clubs submitted their 26-man World Series squads, with Milwaukee going with 13 pitchers and 13 position players. The headline item is Brandon Woodruff making the cut as the Brewers’ longest-tenured player. CBS Sports points out that he hasn’t pitched since July 4 because of a shoulder issue, yet he’s been trusted with a World Series roster spot.
CBS Sports also framed one of the main on-field storylines as whether Jacob Misiorowski can regain his ace-level form, a key question for how the series unfolds. Off the field, the network highlighted comments from agent Scott Boras criticizing some MLB owners as a broader salary-cap debate bubbles up around a small-market World Series matchup.
National coverage at CBS Sports further spotlighted how the Rays and Brewers were built, linking their roster-building approaches in the context of payroll restrictions, and even pieced together a “Frankenstein” 2026 World Series roster by picking the best player from each club at every position.
Cardinals move on from hitting coach Brant Brown
While Milwaukee plays on, the offseason has already started in St. Louis. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Cardinals and hitting coach Brant Brown have parted ways after two seasons. The outlet notes that St. Louis finished 16th in runs scored this year and landed in the bottom five in OPS, wOBA and wRC+, offensive results that set the stage for a change.
Pirates in the background, rest of Central watching
In the background, MLB Trade Rumors relays that the MLB Players Association withdrew its grievance last December against the Rays over revenue-sharing spending, a complaint that had targeted four low-payroll clubs including the Pirates.
With the Cubs (89-73), Reds (75-87), Pirates (82-80) and Cardinals (77-85) all on the sidelines, the rest of the NL Central is in spectator mode while Milwaukee tries to turn a 103-win season into a championship.