Padres announce Robbie Ray as starter against Brewers for Game 1

The San Diego Padres on Friday announced that left-hander Robbie Ray (13-8, 3.59 ERA) would face off with the Milwaukee Brewers as the starting pitcher in Game 1 of their National League Division Series.

Ray, who just celebrated his 35th birthday Thursday, posted a 5.02 ERA in nine games, with 33 strikeouts in 43 innings and a 1.535 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), since the Padres acquired him at the trade deadline from the San Francisco Giants. The 13th-year veteran won the American League Cy Young with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021.

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An all-star for the Giants last year, Ray delivered again for San Francisco this season with a 3.08 ERA in 22 games before his trade. The deal, consummated Aug. 3, sent minor leaguers Joniel Hernandez and Miguel Mendez to the Giants. Both players appear in the Giants’ top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

Ray’s playoff record has been spotty; he’s started three games in three different seasons but took the loss in all three. He allowed one run in three innings for Toronto in 2020 and combined to allow 10 earned runs in just over 10 innings in the two combined starts for Arizona in 2017 and Seattle in 2022.

“We got him at the trade deadline, trust his veteran presence, experience pitching in the playoffs. I think he’s going to do well in this lineup,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “He can be erratic at times. If he’s throwing strikes, we feel really good about him being in there.”

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Ray has issued 27 walks in 43 innings since arriving in San Diego. But the Padres also have won in his last three starts.

“He’s a veteran of major league baseball and a professional out-getter, and I feel good about him going out there in that situation,” Stammen said.

Ray last pitched Sept. 23 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing one earned run but surrendering seven hits and a walk in 3 ⅓ innings, throwing 84 pitches.

“I have to stick to my gameplan and be the one to adapt as well,” Ray said Oct. 2. “For me, it’s just relying on my defense and just pitching my best game.

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“The biggest thing is setting the tone early, coming out and getting ahead of guys.”

Stammen said right-hander Michael King, who took a no-hitter into the seventh in Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs, will start Game 2 on Sunday.

Ray will square off with Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA), the Brewers flamethrower who likely will come away from the 2026 season with the National League Cy Young Award.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Padres announce Robbie Ray as starter against Brewers for Game 1