The Brewers are on the brink of another division celebration, and Jacob Misiorowski will have the ball Tuesday night as they try to make it happen in Pittsburgh.
Milwaukee opens a three-game set at PNC Park against the Pirates with a shot at clinching the National League Central for the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years. The path is simple enough: the Brewers need a win over Pittsburgh and a Cubs loss at home to the Braves to lock it up on Tuesday.
If the champagne comes out, it would also add another stop to Milwaukee’s run of clubhouse celebrations around the NL Central. The Brewers have been piling up postseason berths in recent years, and the only thing left to finish the tour is a party in Pittsburgh.
That kind of success has become routine for a franchise that spent its first five decades far from this kind of annual October math. Now it’s happening with homegrown arms like Misiorowski leading the way.
The 2022 second-round pick enters Tuesday at 14-5 with a league-best 1.95 ERA, putting him squarely in the mix for the NL Cy Young Award with likely three starts left. He’s also chasing a place in Brewers history. If he gets there, he’d become the fourth Milwaukee pitcher to win a Cy Young, joining Rollie Fingers in 1981, Pete Vuckovich in 1982 and Corbin Burnes in 2021.
There’s another milestone in play, too. Misiorowski is trying to become just the second Brewers pitcher to win a league ERA title. Burnes did it in 2021 with a 2.43 mark.
The race is tight. Misiorowski and the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler are both sitting at 1.95 ERA, though Misiorowski technically has the edge despite having thrown 23 1/3 fewer innings.
Tuesday will be his second career start at PNC Park, and the Brewers would love for it to end the same way it did last year. On Sept. 7, Misiorowski held the Pirates to one run on three hits over seven innings there.
After his latest start against the Cubs, Pat Murphy said, “He’s just scratching the surface,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Misiorowski’s most recent start against the Cubs. “This kid can be really, really good.
He’s worn out. We all know that.
But this kid can be really, really special. He’s just learning how to pitch.
He’s got electric stuff.”
In Other News...
Brewers Suddenly Have A Luis Lara Decision That Wont Go Away
Luis Laras extended run earlier in the season gave the Brewers a useful look at what he can offer when the lineup opens up. With Sal Frelick sidelined, Lara stepped into significant playing time and produced a solid enough line over 125 plate appearances, then kept himself relevant by contributing a steady on-base presence and dependable defense. For a club that has made a habit of sorting roles by performance rather than reputation, that kind of flexibility matters.
Since Frelick came back, though, Laras usage has shifted into a more complicated pattern, with his at-bats leaning into a platoon arrangement that is a little unusual for a switch-hitter. Even as the recent on-base numbers have held up, the Brewers have had to weigh how much of Laras value comes from matchups, how much comes from his glove, and how much room there is to keep both him and Frelick involved without forcing the issue. The fact that the answer still feels unsettled says plenty about how quickly this roster can turn a useful depth piece into a real decision. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Trade Is Already Raising Questions About Their Catching Bet
The Brewers made a notable catching move when they sent Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins to Cleveland for Bo Naylor and Codi Heuer, a deal that was soon altered again when Heuer was flipped to Baltimore for cash. It was the kind of swap that immediately drew attention because Milwaukee was clearly betting on Naylors upside behind the plate, even if the early returns have been uneven and the bigger picture was still taking shape.
Yoho has settled in well with the Guardians, which has only sharpened the early reaction to the trade, while Naylor has had only limited major league chances in Milwaukee. There is still reason for the Brewers to believe the long view could look different if his Triple-A performance carries over, but for now the move is being read more as a short-term win for Cleveland than a finished judgment on Milwaukees catching gamble. [Read more 🡒]
Joey Ortiz Is Giving The Brewers A Huge October Question
Joey Ortiz spent much of the 2025 season and the early part of 2026 looking like a glove-first infielder whose bat simply had not caught up, with his offensive production sinking as low as a 52 wRC+. Since late May, though, the Brewers have seen a very different hitter. Ortiz has climbed all the way back to a 102 wRC+, and his work since the All-Star break has turned him into a far more useful presence in the lineup.
For Milwaukee, the timing is what makes this so interesting. Ortizs .331/.380/.565 line since the break has changed the way he fits around the rest of the roster, and it leaves the Brewers with a real October decision to make about how much they can count on this version of him. The question now is whether this surge is the new normal, or just the latest twist in a season that has already given them plenty to sort through. [Read more 🡒]