The Brewers are headed into Game 4 of the NLDS with a pitching plan built less around a clean starter’s line and more around survival. Milwaukee carried 13 pitchers into the series, and that extra arm is suddenly the whole point.
That was the cost of entering the Division Series without a dependable traditional starter behind Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. So while teams usually spend that final roster spot on a catcher, a glove-first bench piece, or a pinch-running option, the Brewers used it to stockpile arms. Now that decision is driving the series.
Dustin May handled Game 3 as a short starter and gave Milwaukee three-plus innings. He was serviceable, but the Padres pushed him around on the bases and then added damage with a pair of run-scoring ground balls. The Brewers never quite recovered, and San Diego’s bullpen finished the job, setting up a Game 4 where Milwaukee’s depth has to matter.
The Brewers still have more fresh pitching options than San Diego, and Pat Murphy has not used four relievers in the series yet: Robert Gasser, Chad Patrick, Shane Drohan, and Kyle Harrison. Those arms were always there with a potential Game 4 in mind, but Murphy also held back because he leaned on the more reliable relievers in three tight games.
There are reasons for the caution. Patrick and Drohan were wild in September.
Harrison’s fastball, which had been so good earlier, disappeared for much of the second half before showing back up in his last couple of outings. Gasser’s strong finish also came with peripherals that didn’t fully back it up.
On top of that, all four showed clear platoon splits in the regular season, which matters even more in a short playoff series where every matchup gets magnified.
Murphy didn’t name a starter Tuesday night, though he did mention Gasser, Patrick, and Drohan as possibilities. Starting Patrick as an opener would make sense given how the Padres have lined up in the series.
In all five playoff games, they have started right-handed hitters Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Ty France in three of the top four spots. A right-handed opener would also force Craig Stammen to decide which platoon bats he wants to use at the bottom of the order.
From there, Milwaukee can keep steering through the middle innings based on who San Diego sends up. If Stammen rolls out his lefties, Harrison could fit near the bottom of the lineup.
Machado, meanwhile, has had trouble against lefty sinker-slider looks like Drohan’s. Gasser may be the best candidate to stretch things out as a bulk pitcher, since he has the lowest opposite-hand opponent wOBA and his four-seamer and cutter have at times kept right-handers quiet.
The late innings still look manageable for Milwaukee. DL Hall and JoJo Romero may be limited after multi-inning work, but Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill have had two days off, and Abner Uribe needed only seven pitches in Game 3. The real puzzle comes before that, when the Brewers will likely spend most of the night shuffling arms and chasing matchups.
If Milwaukee wants to keep this series from swinging back to Wisconsin for a do-or-die Game 5, the bullpen chaos has to work in its favor.
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Pat Murphy's Game 4 Pitching Choice Could Decide The Brewers' Season
With their season hanging by a thread, the Brewers are already looking ahead to Game 4 of the National League Division Series, where Pat Murphy will have to make one of the biggest pitching decisions of the year. Murphy has not announced a starter, but the discussion is centered on Robert Gasser and Chad Patrick, two arms who could be asked to help keep Milwaukee alive after losses in the first three games.
Gasser has been trending in the right direction lately, while Patrick has generally been effective aside from one rough outing late in the season. Kyle Harrison is also part of the conversation, though his role is less clear after recent performance left more questions than answers. For a Brewers team trying to extend its October run, the choice could shape not just Game 4, but the direction of the entire series. [Read more 🡒]