[Brickcity]

I don't think it really matters who starts, and I don't think Esquer is counting on anyone to start and throw 100 pitches. He's been masterful in using almost the entire staff to get through the regional and super regional, and I suppose he will continue to mix and match and adjust to each situation. The pitchers who are throwing best right now (e.g. Bruno) will be used in the highest leverage situations, regardless of when they occur.

This is the optimistic take that I will cling to when the CWS starts.  A stable of effective no-ego pitchers, each with their own strengths, able to be deployed as necessary against a fairly static opposing lineup...backed by an electric offense.  Oh yeah.

I think the optimistic take is that whatever is ailing Alex Williams is temporary and he suddenly returns to the Alex Williams we saw the whole regular season and in the postseasons of 2019 and 2021. 
The super-optimistic take is that we also get Dixon pitching like he was the last four weeks of the regular season or Dowd as he was pitching in late April. (This latter one might be close.)

I think you nailed it. Only tweak I'd make is re Dowd. If he can pitch as well as he did as recently as his last appearance (about two innings against UConn) that would be brobdingnagian.

[Brickcity]

I don't think it really matters who starts, and I don't think Esquer is counting on anyone to start and throw 100 pitches. He's been masterful in using almost the entire staff to get through the regional and super regional, and I suppose he will continue to mix and match and adjust to each situation. The pitchers who are throwing best right now (e.g. Bruno) will be used in the highest leverage situations, regardless of when they occur.

This is the optimistic take that I will cling to when the CWS starts.  A stable of effective no-ego pitchers, each with their own strengths, able to be deployed as necessary against a fairly static opposing lineup...backed by an electric offense.  Oh yeah.

I think the optimistic take is that whatever is ailing Alex Williams is temporary and he suddenly returns to the Alex Williams we saw the whole regular season and in the postseasons of 2019 and 2021. 
The super-optimistic take is that we also get Dixon pitching like he was the last four weeks of the regular season or Dowd as he was pitching in late April. (This latter one might be close.)

I think you nailed it. Only tweak I'd make is re Dowd. If he can pitch as well as he did as recently as his last appearance (about two innings against UConn) that would be brobdingnagian.