Aaron Ashby’s workload is the question hanging over the Brewers as they head into World Series Game 5, but Pat Murphy wasn’t ready to reveal whether his left-hander would be available again out of the bullpen.
“Possibly,” Murphy said Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before first pitch.
Ashby has been one of Milwaukee’s most heavily used arms this October, and his latest outing only added to that load. In Tuesday’s 4-3, 12-inning loss in Game 4, he got seven outs in relief and pushed his playoff scoreless streak to 18 innings. That mark moved him past Andrew Miller for the longest scoreless postseason run by a reliever in a single postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
For much of the night, Ashby looked sharp. He worked through the ninth and 10th without issue, but when he came back out for the 11th to start his third inning, his velocity had slipped.
The fastest of the three sinkers he threw to Rays second baseman Richie Palacios clocked at 96.0 mph. Ashby’s postseason sinker average sits at 97.8 mph.
He still finished Palacios off with a strikeout, but Murphy responded by going to right-hander Antonio Senzatela. After the game, Murphy noted that Milwaukee had to keep player health in mind.
Ashby said he felt fine afterward.
“I feel good,” Ashby said after the game. “It’s probably just a part of throwing a lot of innings.”
Murphy said Ashby is the kind of pitcher who will never volunteer that he’s unavailable. That leaves the manager leaning on feel and the people around him to make the call.
“You just have to gauge the stuff,” Murphy said. “William [Contreras] helps us, too.
He’s been extraordinary. But we know him so well.
So, if you’re watching him, you can kind of tell - that’s not quite as crisp, or he doesn’t have the command the same way.”
Ashby has already been a constant presence in Milwaukee’s postseason run, appearing in nine of the club’s 12 playoff games. He has gone at least five outs in eight of those outings, a major reason the Brewers have been able to lean on their bullpen so heavily.
He’s also shown he can handle quick turnaround. Ashby has pitched on consecutive days in all three of Milwaukee’s postseason series, including the World Series.
In Game 1, he delivered five outs. He came right back the next night and recorded five more to finish Game 2.
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