As expected, Yovani Gallardo will be the Brewers' starter Saturday when they open the National League Division Series against an opponent and in a location that have yet to be determined.

Gallardo was originally slated to start Wednesday, in the Brewers' season finale against Pittsburgh at Miller Park. Roenicke said Monday that a change would probably be made, as he tried to set up his rotation for the playoffs and Tuesday he made it official.

He had a pretty good idea that he'd get the assignment once he'd been scratched from his Wednesday start.

"You still have to wait and let the manager and pitching coach tell you but I'm very excited," Gallardo said. "It's an honor. It just shows the amount of confidence they have in me.

"I was very excited once I heard that."

Gallardo has been hot of late. In his last 10 outings, he's 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA and those numbers would be even better were it not for a short outing Sept. 1 at St. Louis, when he allowed eight runs in 4.2 inning.

His last three starts (3-0) have been especially impressive. Gallardo has given up just four runs in 20.1 innings (1.80 ERA) while striking out 36 and walking just three. He became the first pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 or more in three consecutive games and has 207 strikeouts on the season.

"He's pitched really well lately and it just seemed to line up better that way," said Roenicke.

Roenicke had still hoped to get Gallardo some work before the season ended Wednesday but instead of using him in relief, or for a short start, he had Gallardo pitch a simulated game Tuesday before the Brewers played the Pirates at Miller Park.

"We thought that was better than trying to get him into a game today," Roenicke said. "If you start him today, it messes up (Randy Wolf). If he goes in later, (it's) real odd for him trying to get warm and loose in the bullpen instead of long-tossing and his whole routine so we didn't think that was a good way to do it."

Gallardo worked "a couple innings," according to Roenicke, working to four batters. He'll throw another bullpen session Thursday to prepare for his next assignment – the second Game 1 start of his career.

In 2008, Gallardo was an unlikely candidate to open the NLDS. He tore his ACL on May 1 in just his third start of the season. Gallardo returned to the rotation Sept. 25, allowing one run in four innings of the Brewers' 5-1 victory.

In Game 1 at Philadelphia, Gallardo allowed three unearned runs on three hits in four innings. He walked five and struck out three in the Brewers' 3-1 loss to the eventual world champion Phillies.

That experience factored somewhat into Roenicke's decision to give Gallardo the ball again Saturday.

"It helps," Roenicke said.

Roenicke will send right-hander Zack Greinke to the mound Wednesday in Gallardo's place, allowing Greinke to also get some work in before the playoffs begin. He had expressed a desire to avoid having a week off in between starts, but how long he remains in the game depends on a number of factors as the Brewers try to wrap up the No. 2 seed in the National League and earn home-field advantage in the NLDS.

"The plan is not for sure," Roenicke said. "We have a lot options depending on what happens in the game today, what happens in Arizona and how much we need to win that game tomorrow and whether we're at home or not.

"If we had clinched tonight, Zack would still throw tomorrow but it would be short. "

Depending on how long Greinke works Wednesday, he could be in line to start Game 2 of the NLDS. That would leave Shaun Marcum to start Game 3 which, if the Brewers secured home-field, would be played on the road. That bodes well for Marcum who is 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 16 starts at Miller Park this season but 8-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 16 road starts.

Of course, that all depends on what happens over the next two days. The Braves host the Phillies while trying to eliminate the Cardinals, who are in Houston, from the Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks host the Dodgers tonight as they try to move past the Brewers in the race for the No. 2 seed.

"He (Marcum) may have to go the second game just depending on what happens today and tomorrow. And if he does, we feel comfortable with it. If you look just at the numbers, he has been better on the road but we like him. We think he's a great pitcher, I don't think the playoff atmosphere is going to bother him and it's nice to have him be flexible to do what we want."

Braun sits: Ryan Braun had a .545 career average against Pittsburgh's Charlie Morton, the starter Monday night at Miller Park. Despite those numbers, Braun decided Monday would be the best day for him to get some rest before the playoffs.

Braun didn't want to take a game off, come back for one game and then have two off days before the postseason began so he decided Monday would be the day. Facing Morton might have helped him in his quest to win the National League batting title, but Roenicke said that didn't play into the decision.

"It's not a factor to him," Roenicke said. "If it's not a factor to him, then it's not a factor to me. You look at (Monday's) game. He hits (Morton) well. But this game that made sense to him to get the the next two days. That shows me he's focused on winning this thing and getting ready for the playoffs. Whatever happens with the batting race, it happens. He was the one that said this is the day that made sense."

Braun did enter the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, hitting an RBI double before playing the final 3.5 innings in the field.

"My off-day turned into two hours of playing baseball," Braun said.

He enters play Tuesday in a virtual tie for the NL batting title. But while both he and the Mets' Jose Reyes have .334 averages, Reyes (177-for-530) is actually .00003 points ahead of Braun (186-for-557).

"Just like everything else, it seems like it comes down to the last day," Braun said. "That's how it should be, it makes it fun."

Thanks for coming: With the record for home victories already locked up, the Brewers will soon be able to celebrate an attendance record, too.

The team sold 3,068,718 tickets through Monday morning, surpassing the 3,068,458 sold in 2008, the last time Milwaukee qualified for the playoffs.

Actual attendance, so far, is 2,987,533 – seventh in baseball and fourth in the National League – with an average of 37,817 and have sold out 35 games.

"Good baseball team, good baseball town," Roenicke said.

Quick hits: John Axford has a 0.64 ERA over his last 28 appearances and has made eight consecutive scoreless outings ... Yuniesky Betancourt has a six-game hitting streak and is second on the team with 40 multi-hit games this season ... Carlos Gomez has not committed an error this season ... Corey Hart has hit safely in 10 straight games and has a .341 average during that stretch ... Casey McGehee hasn't had a hit in his last 12 at-bats ... Since returning from the disabled list, Rickie Weeks is hitting .258 (8-for-31) ... The Brewers are the seventh team in MLB history to make the playoffs after starting the season 0-4.