The Brewers left Game 4 with a one-run lead and a chance to finish the World Series, but the inning that followed pushed all the attention onto the bullpen decisions that got them there.
After Cooper Pratt’s solo homer in the top of the 12th gave Milwaukee the lead, the Brewers were suddenly asking who would finish the job. The problem was obvious: by that point in a bullpen game that had already gone 12 innings, Milwaukee had burned through nearly every relief arm it felt good about using in a tight spot.
Pat Murphy went with Antonio Senzatela to start the bottom of the inning against Junior Caminero, and that choice initially held up before Joey Ortiz’s throwing error on a routine grounder to third base changed the feel of the frame. Murphy then called on rookie left-hander Shane Drohan, who gave up four straight singles as the Tampa Bay Rays walked it off and celebrated the win.
That ending is what fueled the debate over why Jacob Misiorowski never got the ball. The Brewers’ ace, who had some postseason bullpen experience last year, was sitting with the relievers and never entered the 12-inning game. Given the state of Milwaukee’s bullpen and the fact that the World Series was on the line, many questioned why the club didn’t turn to the pitcher who has been its most dominant arm this season.
There’s a strong case for that view. If you need three outs to clinch a title, it’s easy to argue that the most overpowering pitcher in the sport should be the one on the mound, especially when the bullpen is running on fumes.
But there’s also the other side. If Misiorowski had come in and things had gone sideways - if he’d allowed two runs, thrown 25 or 30 pitches, and blown the save - Milwaukee would have been headed into Game 5 with a taxed bullpen and no ace to lean on. That could have made a Game 6 far more likely.
That is why tonight’s game feels like the one that can settle everything. If the Brewers win behind a strong Misiorowski start in Game 5, the criticism of Murphy’s Game 4 choices gets buried fast. And if Misiorowski is at his best, the decision not to use him in the 12th could end up looking smart instead of conservative.
The concern, though, is that he has not looked fully like himself in this postseason. Misiorowski has a 2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings, but he has not worked into the sixth inning in October, and the reduced ride on his fastball has led to fewer whiffs.
So Game 5 becomes more than just another start. It is a chance for Misiorowski to quiet the bullpen debate, answer for what has been a slightly underwhelming postseason by his own standards, and put Milwaukee in position to close the door on the World Series. If the Brewers finish the job tonight, the argument over whether their ace should have been used in Game 4 will fade quickly.
In Other News...
Brewers Let A Title-Clinching Chance Slip Away In Game 4
A title-clinching chance was there for Milwaukee on Sunday night, and for a while it looked like the Brewers might leave Tropicana Field with the championship wrapped up. Instead, a tense Game 4 stretched deep into extra innings, with the Tampa Bay Rays pulling out a 4-3 comeback win in 12 innings to keep the World Series going and trim Milwaukees series lead to 3-1.
The Brewers had put themselves in position to finish the job, only to watch the game turn in the final inning of the night. What had felt like a closing opportunity became a reminder that nothing comes easily in October, and Milwaukee now heads into the next game still up in the series but with the Rays suddenly alive again. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Top Prospect Keeps Turning Up Pressure On Milwaukee's Timeline
Jesus Made keeps giving the Brewers something to think about, and the timing hardly could be more interesting for a franchise that has built its recent success on getting younger talent to arrive at the right moment. The 19-year-old finished the 2026 minor league season with a .271 average, 14 homers, 91 RBIs and 37 steals in Double-A, a performance that set a franchise RBI mark and earned Southern League All-Star honors.
Now he is carrying that momentum into the Dominican Professional Baseball League, where he has kept producing early in the winter season. The bigger question for Milwaukee is how quickly the organization wants to move him, especially with Made still having not taken a Triple-A at-bat and the possibility that his path could jump a step before next season even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Rookie Looked Ready To Clinch It Until Everything Unraveled
For a few tense minutes in Game 4 of the World Series, it looked like Cooper Pratt had delivered the kind of breakthrough swing Milwaukee could build around. The rookie came through in the 12th inning with a go-ahead homer that put the Brewers ahead 3-2, a moment that seemed to tilt a back-and-forth game firmly in their direction.
Instead, the finish turned into a collapse that sent the series to a fifth game. A defensive miscue cracked the door open, and the bullpen that had been so steady through the postseason could not close it, with left-hander Shane Drohan taking the loss after Tampa Bay strung together four straight hits. For Milwaukee, it was the kind of ending that lingers - one that left a rookie's big swing buried under a far messier final inning. [Read more 🡒]