Kevin Cash benched his hottest hitter for Game 1 of the World Series.
Richie Palacios, who is hitting .364 this postseason, is not in the Tampa Bay Rays' lineup against Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski. The Rays broke their second-base platoon Friday night, starting right-handed hitter Ben Williamson against Misiorowski. Palacios, a lefty hitter, had been the near-everyday second baseman since August. Williamson is 1-for-8 in October and 0-for-3 in his career against Misiorowski.
Yandy Diaz leads off again. He has been the Ray's best hitter this month, batting .308 with two home runs. He also took Misiorowski deep for a two-run homer on April 1 in Milwaukee.
Chandler Simpson, who led the AL with 46 stolen bases, bats third behind Jonathan
Aranda. Junior Caminero, who hit 42 homers, hits cleanup. He is 0-for-3 with two strikeout against the Brewers' ace.
Liam Hicks starts at catcher over Nick Fortes, a choice worth watching against a Brewers team that stole 162 bases. Runners went 58-for-69 against HIcks this season.
Rays lineup today, Game 1 starting pitcher
RHP Nick Martinez
- Yandy Díaz (R) DH
- Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B
- Chandler Simpson (L) LF
- Junior Caminero (R) 3B
- Liam Hicks (L) C
- Jonny DeLuca (R) CF
- Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF
- Ben Williamson (R) 2B
- Taylor Walls (S) SS
World Series schedule
- Game 1: Friday, October 23 — 8:00 PM ET, at Milwaukee – TICKETS
- Game 2: Saturday, October 24 — 8:00 PM ET, at Milwaukee – TICKETS
- Game 3: Monday, October 26 — 8:00 PM ET, at Tampa Bay
- Game 4: Tuesday, October 27 — 8:00 PM ET, at Tampa Bay
- Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, October 28 — 8:00 PM ET, at Tampa Bay
- Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, October 30 — 8:00 PM ET, at Milwaukee – TICKETS
- Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, October 31 — 8:00 PM ET, at Milwaukee – TICKETS
Rays vs Brewers World Series odds
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tampa Bay Rays Game 1 lineup: Hot hitter benched for World Series opener
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