Pat Murphy isn’t making a mystery out of his pitching plans for the NLCS.
After carrying 13 pitchers on the Brewers’ NLDS roster - an unusual move for a best-of-five series, where most teams go with 12 pitchers and 14 position players - Milwaukee got through its four-game win over the Padres without needing Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan or Chad Patrick to throw a pitch. That left plenty of questions about whether any of the three would stick around for the next round.
Murphy eased that concern on Saturday.
“I trust those guys. It’s just the way it worked out, it was the way to do it,” Murphy said when asked why Harrison, Drohan and Patrick never got into the NLDS.
The manager’s answer fit the series. Milwaukee’s bullpen management was one of the reasons it came out on top, and there simply wasn’t an obvious spot to use any of those three.
But the NLCS changes the equation. A best-of-seven series almost always demands more from the staff, and that gives the Brewers more reason to keep extra arms close.
Murphy made that point pretty clear, too. Asked about the trio’s status, he said, “I anticipate all of them having a role.”
The official NLCS roster won’t be announced until tomorrow morning, but all signs point to Milwaukee sticking with the same 13 pitchers it used against San Diego. The 10 pitchers who were actually deployed in the NLDS were used in high-leverage spots, which makes it hard to imagine them getting bumped now.
Brandon Woodruff is still not ready for game action, so his inclusion would not make sense. The only pitcher not on the NLDS roster who could potentially enter the mix is Grant Anderson.
He posted a 3.36 ERA in 52 regular-season appearances and was tough on right-handed hitters, but lefties gave him problems. That matters here, because the Dodgers would likely force him into those matchups.
There’s also the shape of the bullpen to consider: Anderson is mostly a one-inning option, while Drohan, Harrison and Patrick can cover multiple innings.
For now, the Brewers appear set to keep the same pitching group and trust that the unused arms from the Division Series will have a say against the Dodgers. If Murphy’s comments are any indication, Harrison, Drohan and Patrick may be more than just roster placeholders in the NLCS.
In Other News...
Brewers Have A Late-Inning Edge That Could Rattle The Dodgers
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That matters now because the Dodgers are the kind of opponent that can make any lead feel fragile, and Milwaukees relief group has already shown it can carry real weight when the games tighten. The Brewers do not need their bullpen to be flashy so much as dependable, and in a series where one clean inning can change the tone, that edge could become one of the most important parts of the matchup. The only question is how far that advantage can stretch once the biggest spots arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Lost A Veteran Arm From Their Bullpen Depth Plan
The Braves bullpen depth chart took another hit this week with Ian Hamilton and Rob Zastryzny both electing minor league free agency. Hamiltons route back onto the market came after the Yankees non-tendered him and Atlanta brought him in on a non-guaranteed major league deal, but his time there never really got traction, with only limited work in the majors and at Triple-A before he was back on the move.
For Milwaukee, Zastryzny is the more familiar name, having previously pitched for the Brewers and a handful of other clubs as a left-handed depth option. His latest stretch never got much momentum either, as injury slowed him early and kept him from establishing a real role, leaving him to choose free agency rather than stay in the organization and wait for another opening. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Roster Philosophy Looks Smarter As Former Player Faces Wrong Fit
With the National League Championship Series rematch against the Dodgers on deck, the Brewers are once again looking like a club built with a clear identity. Milwaukee has long favored depth, flexibility and players who fit defined jobs over chasing the same kind of roster template everyone else is using, and that approach is part of why the team keeps showing up in October with a chance to make noise. It also makes former Brewers player Caleb Durbin an interesting measuring stick, because his game still speaks to the values Milwaukee tends to prize.
Durbin is the kind of contact-first, small-ball player who can help a lineup in the right setting, but he is not built around forcing the ball over the wall. Now he is in a different environment, where the discussion is less about leaning into what he does well and more about asking him to cover for other problems around him. For Milwaukee, it is another reminder that roster fit matters as much as raw talent, and that the Brewers way of doing business can look pretty sharp when contrasted with a club trying to make a mismatched piece serve a different purpose. [Read more 🡒]