LIVE: Mets-Brewers NL Wild Card Series Game 2 (ESPN)

MILWAUKEE — The Mets are one win away from their first season series win since sweeping the Cubs in the 2015 NL Championship Series and the Brewers are one loss away from their fifth consecutive first-round exit.

In a short series, this can happen quickly.

The Mets' 8-4 win in Game 1 of the NL wild card series sets up the teams for an elimination game Wednesday night, where a pair of former Oakland A's teammates will face off on the mound in New York's Shawn Mania and Milwaukee. Frankie Montas. The Mets have traveled from Atlanta to Milwaukee to Atlanta and back to Milwaukee over the past week, but will have plenty of rest for a chance to advance.

“It's hard to be tired when you're playing playoff baseball,” third baseman Mark Vientos said.

In the brief history of best-of-three wild card series, teams that won Game 1 have advanced 14 of 16 times. Of the 10 teams to take Game 1 on the road, eight have won the series, including seven by sweep.

The Brewers will try to beat those numbers.

“We usually respond,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “That's one of the great things about this ballclub is that they respond.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?

Game 2 is scheduled to begin at 7:38 pm ET/6:38 pm CT on ESPN. John Sciambi and Doug Glanville will be on the call.

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Who are the starting pitchers?

Mets: The Mets will send Manaea, their best regular-season pitcher, to the mound for Game 2. The left-hander's season changed in late July, when he reduced his arm slot in an attempt to emulate Braves ace Chris Sale. From July 30 to September 21, Manaaya went 6–1 with a 2.63 ERA over 11 starts — a run of excellence that the Brewers eventually defeated on September 27 by six runs. It has since been pitched and will be worked on with regular rests. He's also looking to shake off a reputation for inconsistency in October; Mania lost all three of his career postseason outings with a 15.26 ERA.

Drinking: Acquired from the Reds at the trade deadline, Montas has made 11 Brewers starts with a 4.55 ERA — which drops to a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts if you magically remove one blow-up outing in that span, one seven-run outing from his next in the regular season. D-back at the last start. The Brewers coach worked with the veteran on some mechanical adjustments that led to a velocity bump; His highest average of six fastballs came after four trades by Velo, one of them in Montas' final start on September 27 in a tune-up against the Mets.

What is the starting lineup?

Mets: Manager Carlos Mendoza took a calculated risk to start Jesse Winker over JD Martinez at DH in Game 1, and Winker justified that faith with a two-run triple. But Winker doesn't have the same track record vs. Montes that he did against Freddy Peralta. Mendoza walked Martinez, who pinch-hit Winker in the fifth on Tuesday, and delivered a two-run single.

Drinking: Jackson Chauri also started in the leadoff spot on Opening Day against the Mets at Citi Field, becoming the youngest player to make his major league debut in a season opener as the leadoff man — get it? — since Boston's future Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr in 1937. Chauri later moved to the two-hole against righties but still batted against lefties, with switch-hitting Blake Perkins and right-handed hitting Gary Sanchez often joining the lineup. The Brewers were 24-24 in games started by opposing left-handers during the regular season, including a win over Mania in the final series.

How will bullpens line up after the starters?

Mets: The Mets will be in much better shape for Game 2 than they were in Game 1, now that closer Edwin Diaz and top setup man Phil Matton each got a day off. They should be available for at least one inning, as should every other Mets reliever except Jose Batto.

Drinking: With the NL Central clinched with more than a week left in the regular season, the Brewers were able to line up their bullpen just fine, which helped explain Game 1 starter Freddy Peralta's early hook. It didn't work, and now Murphy headed into Game 2 and used reliable bridge reliever Joel Payamps for 14 pitches and electric lefty Aaron Ashby for 18 pitches, needing wins the next two nights. The Brewers still have plenty of good arms, as they didn't use Devin Williams, setup man Trevor Magill or lefty Jared Koenig in Game 1. That's thanks to right-hander Aaron Seaval, the regular-season starter, giving the Brewers three scoreless innings in his first bullpen appearance as a professional.

Mets: Lindor continues to be less than 100 percent after suffering a lower back injury in mid-September, but it clearly hasn't affected his play in recent days. Barring a setback, he will continue to start every day at shortstop.

Drinking: Frelik surprised his own manager by not only being available to play in the series, but started Game 1 after suffering a bone spur in his left hip during the final series of the regular season. Frelick looked relatively unaffected most of the night, including his duel to lead off the fourth inning.

Who is hot and who is not?

Mets: Vientos has five multi-hit efforts in his last 11 games. That included a Game 1 barrage that saw Vientos single twice, score twice and score a pair of runs. Also keep an eye on Martinez, if he plays. Since emerging from a career-worst 0-for-36 slump, he has hit safely in three straight games.

Drinking: Turang is 8 for 19 over his last four games, including a three-hit effort in Game 1, while Turang became the fifth Brewer player with multiple doubles in a postseason game. The last time Jesus Aguilar did it was in Game 6 of the 2018 NLCS.

Anything else fans might want to know?