With a Subtle Move, Milwaukee Brewers Line Up Their NLDS Rotation

[Jake McKibbin]

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers bumped Brandon Woodruff's planned Saturday start back to this coming Wednesday, briefly stirring some fears about the veteran hurler's health in September. Apparently, though, Woodruff is uninjured. Instead, it seems like the Brewers have used their two off days within a week to align their rotation, while keeping everyone else working on regular rest. 

They have now lined up the triumvirate of Freddy Peralta, Woodruff and Quinn Priester to pitch against the Los Angeles Angels, in that order. In keeping their pitchers on four days' rest and use (with an abbreviated start for the final three games of the regular season), that would see:

	Freddy Peralta	Brandon Woodruff	Quinn Priester
1st Start	16th Sept - LAA	17th Sept - LAA	18th Sept - LAA
2nd Start	21st Sept - STL	22nd Sept - SDP	23rd Sept - SDP
3rd Start	26th Sept - CIN	27th Sept - CIN	28th Sept - CIN

That would feature a four-man rotation with a skipped start on September 25, but with plenty of arms around, that shouldn't be much of a concern. It should allow them to stay on some regular pitching schedule (without too much time between starts) entering the NLDS.

Keeping to a regular schedule is vital for the Brewers down the stretch. They'll want their playoff starters pitching as closely as possible to the end of the season, as too much rest can be as damaging as too little. Should Peralta pitch on September 26, his next start would be the following Saturday, in Game 1 of the NLDS, with seven days between starts. They could also choose to use the abbreviated starts that are likely to come in the final series to pitch all three of their playoff horses in the final two games, shortening that time between starts even further.

What Does That Mean For Jacob Misiorowski?
With Jacob Misiorowski still learning and adapting to wrinkles in the big leagues, Quinn Priester's reliability looks awfully tempting, so to see the Brewers lean this way is no real surprise. That being said, should they reach the NLCS, they would need a fourth starter, and the young phenom is in pole position to be used there.

Jose Quintana's calf strain may make the discussion moot, but he may also have a role here. Depending on whom the Brewers face should they survive the NLDS, the left-handed matchup may be advantageous, despite his recent struggles. Quintana's postseason pedigree means that the Brewers are comfortable throwing him in for four or five innings against a Phillies lineup that hasn't been quite as successful against left-handers this year.

If we assume Misiorowski is the favorite to slide into the rotation should the team reach the NLCS, how they manage his workload to finish the season is fascinating. Both in his start to 2025, and in his return from his shin contusion in August, Misiorowski has struggled to find his rhythm from the get-go after prolonged absences from the mound. Will they use him out of the bullpen in the NLDS? Will his last outing before the playoffs be a start on September 24 against the Padres? He'll need to stay both stretched out, and available from the bullpen. Adjustments to his schedule and rhythm haven't come easily to the young hurler this season, and it could be a steep learning curve. Live BP sessions during the lull between the team's regular-season finale and the NLDS might help bridge the gap.

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Do you think the Brewers' playoff rotation is set in stone? Or could Jacob Misiorowski still wriggle back into the thick of it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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[biedergb]

This feels like the top 3.

I hope Quintana's injury is not very serious that he could be back by NLDS, and maybe some down time will help him. I still feel Miz is best suited as a reliver, sort of Woody/Burnes in '18, as I do worry that he is getting hit too hard recently by teams who have seen him, and he still has some inconsistencies from start to start. Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser and Chad Patrick all fit into the potential #4 starter if Quintana can't go.

[steelydan]

1 hour ago, biedergb said:

This feels like the top 3.

I hope Quintana's injury is not very serious that he could be back by NLDS, and maybe some down time will help him. I still feel Miz is best suited as a reliver, sort of Woody/Burnes in '18, as I do worry that he is getting hit too hard recently by teams who have seen him, and he still has some inconsistencies from start to start. Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser and Chad Patrick all fit into the potential #4 starter if Quintana can't go.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but Miz doesn't seem reliable enough to pitch in post-season in any role. In fact, he seems like the prototypical huge talent that can't yet command his pitches well enough and needs more time in the minors. Am I off-base on that?

I've seen some discussion about his attitude, maturity, focus, etc. I tend to think that he just has some unusual personality traits and tics which can lead to concerns but really don't mean anything. Especially under stress, some people can show some peculiar behaviors. I think if he really had an attitude problem, he wouldn't be up in majors still.

[biedergb]

7 minutes ago, steelydan said:

Maybe I'm overreacting, but Miz doesn't seem reliable enough to pitch in post-season in any role. In fact, he seems like the prototypical huge talent that can't yet command his pitches well enough and needs more time in the minors. Am I off-base on that?

I've seen some discussion about his attitude, maturity, focus, etc. I tend to think that he just has some unusual personality traits and tics which can lead to concerns but really don't mean anything. Especially under stress, some people can show some peculiar behaviors. I think if he really had an attitude problem, he wouldn't be up in majors still.

No, my concerns exactly. But in a short stint (1-2IP every 2-3 days) it is easier to "hide" these things as he can be a 5th/6th inning guy that can focus on getting his 3-6 outs. With his pure stuff he should be able to execute that, and that can get you some bulk innings over a couple of games which could even out the inconsistencies - as if he is bad in his 1 start it's a problem, but if 2 of 3 appearances are good and one is off, you can have a short leash on the bad outing and leverage him for the other outings.

Just my thoughts, and I am no manager, and have been wrong a lot in baseball over the years...

[steelydan]

10 minutes ago, biedergb said:

No, my concerns exactly. But in a short stint (1-2IP every 2-3 days) it is easier to "hide" these things as he can be a 5th/6th inning guy that can focus on getting his 3-6 outs. With his pure stuff he should be able to execute that, and that can get you some bulk innings over a couple of games which could even out the inconsistencies - as if he is bad in his 1 start it's a problem, but if 2 of 3 appearances are good and one is off, you can have a short leash on the bad outing and leverage him for the other outings.

Just my thoughts, and I am no manager, and have been wrong a lot in baseball over the years...

I'm no manager, either, but if a manager expects only 67% positive performance, isn't that a ticket to the minors and especially not good enough for playoffs? I think some teams lack quality pitching and might have to live with that, but the Brewers don't seem like one of them. I have a feeling that leadership is thinking hard about whether Miz can be trusted in playoffs. 

[MattK]

48 minutes ago, steelydan said:

I'm no manager, either, but if a manager expects only 67% positive performance, isn't that a ticket to the minors and especially not good enough for playoffs? I think some teams lack quality pitching and might have to live with that, but the Brewers don't seem like one of them. I have a feeling that leadership is thinking hard about whether Miz can be trusted in playoffs. 

It is really interesting how quickly Miz earned Pat Murphy's trust.  Murph has not been a guy for that too much.  We have seen multiple position players and relievers who Murph has let sit while overusing his trusted guys.  Miz has been right in there.  Perhaps it is more Chris Hook's area, with the starting pitchers, and Murph lets them be?
Also thought it is interesting how Chad Patrick was in it, then has been out of it, despite not really pitching differently.
Just my two cents toward Miz being in the playoff rotation or not.

[biedergb]

1 hour ago, steelydan said:

lack quality pitching and might have to live with that, but the Brewers don't seem like one of them

I guess this is where we may disagree and thus the differing view on Miz. But I see your point.

As far as depth, we may have it better than others, but I don't see the depth as great. There is Uribe, Koenig. And assuming Megill is healthy. Then Ashby. Solid, But after that?

DL Hall is injured, Rob Z has been fine, Anderson was injured and was loosing effectiveness prior to that, ditto for Mears, and then S. Miller is out.  So a guy with Miz's stuff who can actually be lights out, that is a great weapon.

And to clarify, I don't know that 2/3 is exactly what I was saying, but rather like most starters you go good in most starts (but not every start obviously). In relief you can mask that more - give a guy three batters if isn't going great, and let him ride for 1-2 IP if he is going great. I was using the 1/3 and 2/3 just as an example since I would imagine a reliever pitches 2-3 times in a 5 game series, and 3-4 times in a 7 game series. Anyway, I've overexplained that to death.