Rays start Nick Martinez in World Series Game 1 with the Milwaukee roof closed

The Tampa Bay Rays start Nick Martinez in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night against Jacob Misiorowski and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. First pitch is 8 p.m. ET on Fox and Fox One, and the Brewers said Friday the roof will be closed, according to the Associated Press.

Martinez is a surprise choice. The Rays are using him so Drew Rasmussen gets extra rest before Game 2 and Freddy Peralta before Game 3, the AP reported. Martinez, 36, is with his fourth major league team. ESPN lists him at 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA over nine postseason innings, with six strikeouts and three walks.

Misiorowski, 24, threw 1,115 pitches of 100 mph or harder this season, the AP said, far past the previous high of 673 by Jordan Hicks in 2018. His top pitch was 105.5 mph. He has not finished the fifth inning in either of his two postseason starts, and his postseason ERA is 3.24 with 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings, per ESPN. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said hitters are fouling him off and "trying to exploit everything."

Milwaukee went 103-59 and swept the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. Tampa Bay went 98-64 and swept the Yankees in the AL Division Series. The Brewers won two of three in the regular-season meetings. Milwaukee also put Brandon Woodruff on its World Series roster Friday after he had been sidelined since July 4 with right shoulder inflammation, MLB said.

Neither team has won a World Series. It is the first Series since 1980 between two franchises chasing their first title, the AP noted, and the first played with the automated ball-strike challenge system.

The Brewers are -194 favorites with a total of 6.5 runs, according to ESPN's odds feed. The Rays list Shane McClanahan as out, and Gavin Lux is on the 60-day injured list.

What to watch: how long Martinez can keep a contact-heavy Milwaukee lineup in check, whether the Rays' bunting and running game can rattle Misiorowski, and whether he gets through five innings for the first time this October. Beat Chuck will have the Game 1 recap tonight.