When is Mets vs. Brewers NL Wild Card Series Game 3? Date, Time and Lineups

MILWAUKEE – Three of the four Wild Card Series ended in sweeps on Wednesday, so the Mets and Brewers will have all eyes on them when they play a decisive Game 3 at American Family Field on Thursday.

The Brewers forced the series to another day with a thriller of a finish in Game 2 that snapped their six-game postseason losing streak and gave them hope of snapping another streak of five straight postseason series losses. It would take one more win.

“We have to keep this momentum,” Brewers shortstop Willy Adames said. “If not, we’re going home.”

“It is a privilege to get this opportunity, pitching for the season one more time,” said Mets left-hander Jose Quintana, a longtime Brewers nemesis who will get the start for New York. “This loss was really tough for us. But we’ll keep our heads up, and [Thursday], we’ll be back strong.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?

Game 3 is set to begin at 7:08 p.m. ET/6:08 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN.

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Who are the starting pitchers?

Mets: The winningest Colombian pitcher in Major League history, Quintana has a brief but solid postseason history. Most of it came in 2017 with the Cubs, when Quintana produced a 1.59 ERA in three outings before blowing up for six runs in his fourth. When Quintana returned to the playoffs five years later with the Cardinals, he blanked the Phillies over 5 1/3 innings in Wild Card Series Game 1. At age 35, he remains a steady competitor. Following a poor beginning to the season, Quintana rebounded to produce a 2.77 ERA over his final 18 starts.

Brewers: When Brewers manager Pat Murphy was asked Wednesday afternoon who would start Game 3 if his team could get that far, he said it would be right-hander Tobias Myers, the 26-year-old right-hander who was 1-15 with a 7.82 ERA just two years ago in the Minors, but came out of nowhere to go 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA in 138 innings for the Brewers in 2024. His signature pitch is a riding fastball at the top of the zone, and for much of the summer he was Milwaukee’s most reliable starter. But his last four outings went just four innings, so don’t be surprised if the Brewers throw an opener into the mix at the last moment. Myers’ final regular season outing was against the Mets on Sept. 28; he entered in the second inning after left-hander Jared Koenig threw a scoreless first.

“I’m ready to go whenever. I feel like I thrive off this environment,” said Myers, who was in the bullpen for each of the first two games.

What are the starting lineups?

Mets: For Game 3, the Mets shuffled their Nos. 2-6 hitters, moving Jose Iglesias down to the fifth spot and moving everyone up one spot in the order. Jesse Winker got the nod against a righty starter, with J.D. Martinez set to come off the bench.

Brewers: Willy Adames said he would wear the same red armband and spikes he featured in the Brewers’ Game 2 win, and the Brewers are throwing the same lineup against a second straight lefty.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Mets: The Mets had things set up exactly the way they wanted in Game 2, with Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton and Edwin Díaz set to follow Sean Manaea to the mound. Díaz never wound up pitching and, as a result, should be back at full strength after heavy usage earlier this week. He could go six outs if the Mets need him to. The biggest question mark is Maton, who has appeared four times in the last five days and gave up three runs in Game 2. On the one hand, Mendoza may want to stay away from Maton for obvious reasons. On the other, he’s been their top setup man in the second half of the season, and Quintana is unlikely to pitch deep into this one.

“I will be ready,” Díaz said, suggesting he may enter the game earlier than normal. “Whatever they need.”

Brewers: The urgency was evident when the Brewers called for setup man Trevor Megill as the first reliever out of the bullpen in the fourth inning of Game 2, but he set the tone for a comeback. Megill (22 pitches), Joel Payamps (17 pitches while throwing for the second straight day), Jared Koenig (seven pitches), Joe Ross (12 pitches) and Devin Williams (10 pitches for the save) combined to hold the Mets scoreless on two hits for the final 5 1/3 innings. With those mostly manageable pitch counts, everyone will be available for a must-win game.

Mets: Although Lindor continues to receive daily treatment for a back injury suffered in mid-September, he hasn’t shown any outward signs of discomfort for the better part of a week. Each day that goes by, Lindor’s back becomes less and less of an apparent issue.

Who is hot and who is not?

Mets: Iglesias is riding a 24-game hitting streak counting both regular-season and postseason games. Only three Mets — Moisés Alou, David Wright and Wilson Ramos — have produced longer ones. Alou’s 30-game streak in 2007 is the franchise record.

On the other side of things is Alonso, who hasn’t homered in 49 consecutive plate appearances. He’s in a 5-for-38 funk without an extra-base hit since Sept. 19.

Brewers: Brewers veterans Adames and Hoskins are a combined 1-for-14 in the series, though Adames’ two-out, two-strike single in the eighth inning of Game 2 was huge because it extended the inning for Garrett Mitchell’s go-ahead home run. Chourio is 4-for-8 with his first two postseason home runs. Turang is 5-for-8, making him the sixth Brewer to have five-plus hits in a two-game span in the postseason, and the first since catcher Erik Kratz in 2018.

Anything else fans might want to know?

Only two Wild Card Series have gone to a decisive Game 3 since Major League Baseball moved to its current format in 2022. The Mets have been involved in both, losing in ‘22 to the Padres. They’ll try to script a different ending this time around.