(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

The Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees endured difficult endings to their respective postseason runs last season. They also lost a big bat from their lineup.

While the Brewers blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning in Game 3 of their National League wild-card series, the Yankees squandered a five-run advantage in Game 5 of the World Series.

The teams will look to take the first step toward a return to the postseason on Thursday afternoon in their season opener in New York.

In manager Pat Murphy's first season, the Brewers won 93 games and were two outs away from beating the New York Mets before Devin Williams surrendered a three-run homer to Pete Alonso. Williams was subsequently traded to the Yankees for Nestor Cortes, who pitches on Saturday.

Aside from Willy Adames, the Brewers return most of their lineup from last season, highlighted by Jackson Chourio starting his second season.

After signing an eight-year, $82 million deal before his debut, Chourio hit .275 with 21 homers, 79 RBIs in 148 games. He also produced a .791 OPS, stole 22 bases and finished third in the NL Rookie of Year race.

Chourio spent most of the final two months at the top of Milwaukee's lineup, helping the club when Christian Yelich was limited to 73 games and did not play after July 23 due to a back injury.

'I still think I can play at a pretty high level,' Yelich said during spring training 'I feel like I was playing at a pretty high level last year up until I got hurt. Which was unfortunate ... That's how it goes sometimes. I still think I can do it at a high level. Just gotta go out there and do it.'

The Yankees are defending American League champions for the first time since 2010 but are entering the season without Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton.

A few weeks after losing the World Series, Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the crosstown New York Mets. The Yankees pivoted their offseason plan by acquiring Cody Bellinger and Williams in trades while adding free agents Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt.

Those moves were made to improve the team following the departure of Soto, but during spring training, the Yankees lost Cole for the season to Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Cole underwent the surgery a few weeks after Stanton was shut down for an indefinite period due to injuries in both elbows.

Stanton's absence will make Aaron Judge even more of the focus for opposing pitchers.

'It's a work in progress,' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. 'The roster changes all the time. It's certainly a different roster than how it ended last year, and so we're learning a lot about the new guys. I think we have a good team, and we look forward to testing it when we deploy it on March 27.'

Among the players the Yankees are looking forward to seeing is left-hander Carlos Rodon, who gets the start and enters the third season of a six-year, $162 million deal. After an injury-plagued 2023, Rodon set career-high totals in wins (16) and starts (32) to go along with 175 innings.

Rodon allowed two runs or fewer 20 times last season, including in Milwaukee on April 27 when he allowed one run on two hits in six innings. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta will make his second straight Opening Day start after going 11-9 with a 3.68 ERA in 32 starts last season following the trade of Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. Peralta fanned 210 batters after totaling 200 strikeouts in 2023.

Peralta is facing the Yankees for the first time, although he has faced Bellinger and Goldschmidt. Bellinger is 5-for-12 against him while Goldschmidt is 9-for-33 versus the right-hander.

--Field Level Media