Padres (Pivetta) vs Brewers (May): 10/6/26, 8:30pm

[TURBO]

12 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Averaging 3.3 runs a game in the playoffs while one of your best hitters rides pine. 

It’s a bad look, 

This has been going on all season long, so it's not a shock, just stupid.

[adambr2]

The last pitcher we beat on the road in the playoffs was all the way back in the 2018 NLCS and it was …. Walker Buehler. 👀

[Jim French Stepstool]

6 hours ago, adambr2 said:

If the goal for your Game 3 starter is “don’t put us severely underwater”, he should probably not be given the ball for that game. No, I am not signing up for 2 runs in 3 innings from May. That’s enough to make the difference in the game if you’re only scoring 3 runs a game, and it ultimately WAS the difference. 

I would have more patience with May if it wasn’t this exact same song and dance with him every outing. Yes, he looked phenomenal for 2 innings and then when things go bad, he completely unravels. He’s literally a more expensive Brandon Sproat. Murphy himself saw it and removed him in the middle of the AB — if he hadn’t, let’s be honest, Mays’ final line would have likely ended up looking uglier than it ultimately did. 

He has had opportunity after opportunity since we acquired him to be a guy we can trust in the rotation. He is not, no matter what the radar gun says. 

I have absolutely no desire to see him throw another inning as a Brewer. 

I think our overall feelings re May are similar. I'm just saying he didn't cost us the game yesterday, any more than the runners left on base or the unfortunate error from Pratt. He left, and shortly afterward it was a 2-2 game. Outside of the game in Cincinnati before the rains came & maybe one other one, he hasn't been impressive. I just don't think he's public enemy #1 for the loss last night.

If they can get through the rest of the post-season without having to count on him that would be great. If they advance IMO Gasser, Drohan & Harrison are all better matches for LA so there's that.

[TURBO]

5 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Well that's actually part of why everyone hates his usage. He'll get maybe one pinch hit AB which is not what baseball is about. Like anybody else he needs volume. This is not a great offense. We have a single hitter over .300 and he sees the plate like a backup catcher. I'd like to think the Brewers are too smart for this, but it does seem like other guys get more chances because they're "gritty" and Murphy "believes in them" or whatever. Mitchell is up there looking like a pitcher.

I'm also worried about Vaughn and his effectiveness after virtually never seeing at bats this series.  It's hard to pinch hit effectively in MLB, and if we do pinch hit him in a dicey situation, and he fails, it won't be shocking.  The guy needs more at bats to be effective, period.  At the end of the season, even when he started, he was pulled around the 5th inning, once again, not getting regular at bats.

He's been used horribly all season, so seeing what has transpired in the playoffs isn't shocking at all.

Can he produce in a game breaking situation after getting so few at bats?  I just don't know.

 

[SeaBass]

7 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I think our overall feelings re May are similar. I'm just saying he didn't cost us the game yesterday, any more than the runners left on base or the unfortunate error from Pratt. He left, and shortly afterward it was a 2-2 game. Outside of the game in Cincinnati before the rains came & maybe one other one, he hasn't been impressive. I just don't think he's public enemy #1 for the loss last night.

If they can get through the rest of the post-season without having to count on him that would be great. If they advance IMO Gasser, Drohan & Harrison are all better matches for LA so there's that.

I can agree with this. It's really not that uncommon to give up a couple runs in the opening innings. 

I would say May did about as expected. If he could have pitched 3 innings of shutout ball he would have exceeded expectations. It also could have been worse.

He's not a that great of a starting pitcher, expecting a couple earned runs allowed in a short start feels about right.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Mitchell has had a very bad series. No doubt. I don’t know if he should start tonight because right now he’s not close. Its not like he’s having bad luck.

"When he's good, he's really, really good. And when he's bad............."

No one epitomizes that line more than Garrett Mitchell. I don't know if he'll sit with a RHP going for SD but I agree it's a worthy thought.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Yelich being unable to play anywhere is really a problem

Yeah, it's hamstrung them pretty much all season. For a team that loves to utilize versatility it's impressive they've been able to have that successful of a season.

[Team Canada]

1 hour ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

Anything can happen. We all know this. But I'm getting comfortable with three things. 1) being up 2-1 after these three games is probably the most we could've asked for given how everything played out, 2) if we lose the series, it'll be because they Padres outplayed us, even from a position of weakness, and 3) this has been an incredible series of playoff baseball that showcases the absolute peak of October intensity. We've earned being a part of it, and I'm trying to appreciate it in spite of the terror it involves.

This is exactly right. Would it be nice if it were a cakewalk? Sure, but if you are going to be a championship team, you need to win when it counts, and beat good teams. SD is a good team, and LA won't be much easier. We'll need to earn it.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Well that's actually part of why everyone hates his usage. He'll get maybe one pinch hit AB which is not what baseball is about. Like anybody else he needs volume. This is not a great offense. We have a single hitter over .300 and he sees the plate like a backup catcher. I'd like to think the Brewers are too smart for this, but it does seem like other guys get more chances because they're "gritty" and Murphy "believes in them" or whatever. Mitchell is up there looking like a pitcher.

I think part of it might be that Murphy feels Vaughn is the type of hitter who can come into a game cold & put up a good AB, moreso than whoever else might be on the bench if he was in the lineup. And that can be vitally important right now. Notice I said PART OF IT. In a perfect world He & Bauers could handle 1B-DH, but as you mentioned Yelich can't play the OF.

[Jim French Stepstool]

21 minutes ago, TURBO said:

  It's hard to pinch hit effectively in MLB

 

Kinda my point, as mentioned above. It IS hard, especially in the post-season, and I think Murphy feels Vaughn is better equipped than anyone on the roster to come in & get it done. I'd have zero problem with him getting multiple ABs, but he's had 2 PH opps in this series---a base hit, and a flyout vs Miller where I thought he worked the AB well & just got under a pitch. Maybe it's short-sheeting the guy, but I'd much rather have Vaughn available late to hit than Hamilton, Lara or God forbid Mitchell when he isn't picking up the ball.

When he's right, I think Bauers would be very good in that role also. But Bauers trumps Vaughn defensively.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, owbc said:

 I don't think they can hang on for 18 more innings unless one of the guys they have been saving comes in and plays hero. 

I've been wondering if we see Musgrove tonight.

[Brewcrew82]

42 minutes ago, TURBO said:

I'm also worried about Vaughn and his effectiveness after virtually never seeing at bats this series.  It's hard to pinch hit effectively in MLB, and if we do pinch hit him in a dicey situation, and he fails, it won't be shocking.  The guy needs more at bats to be effective, period.  At the need of the season, even when he started, he was pulled around the 5th inning, once again, not getting regular at bats.

He's been used horribly all season, so seeing what has transpired in the playoffs isn't shocking at all.

Can he produce in a game breaking situation after getting so few at bats?  I just don't know.

 

Have you ever considered that one of the reasons Vaughn has been effective this year is because the Brewers have set him up optimally matchup-wise for the most part?

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2026/10/01/milwaukee-brewers-manager-pat-murphy-maximises-andrew-vaughn-joey-ortiz/91816301007/

[GreatNWwi]

"He is the best hitter on the team"

"He has been used wrong all season"

Perhaps he is the best hitter on the team because of the way he has been used?

[adambr2]

I’ve read the article and I don’t really subscribe to the theory that Vaughn would just suck if he played more. He has about 550 plate appearances as a Brewer now and has been remarkably consistent. It’s not like they’ve completely limited him to LH pitching as he’s faced more RHP.

I'm not saying he should be run into the ground but under 300 ABs in a full season is a little ridiculous.

It just seems more like a convenient way to explain away the playing time discrepancy rather than being anything based in real data. 

[BrewerFan]

8 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Padres: (use their Game 1 starter for 2 innings last night)

Us: “Guys if not May then who?? We had no other options on our 13 man pitching staff in a playoff game!”

Note that this is not a criticism of Murphy or a suggestion that they should have used Miz last night. I just can’t help but laugh at the constant insinuations that May is somehow a savior of this pitching staff for the 2-3 non clean innings that he regularly “eats up” at the beginning of games.

I think I hated that trade more than anyone, but May was the OBVIOUS starter last night... and I haven't seen a single person insinuate he was the "savior of this pitching staff." Show me who said that and... I'll argue with them! 
 

-Dominated Padres this year in 3 starts.
-He has elite stuff. We saw that. 
-He was hardly bad as people are inferring, but that's the outcome, I'm talking about the reason for starting him. I don't like  the lefties vs the Padres. Gm3 vs LAD, sure, Drohan for 2-3, Maybe feel out Harrison(that'd be nice if he could throw like he did his last outing). But vs SD? A soft tossing left? 

I hope tonight proves me wrong, but then... you still had him to come back to. With Priester out, Woodruff, then Kyle Harrison going from Co-Ace to... not good, I think telling May to go out there and empty the tank was the right choice. 


Even the sequence where they scored, you have a GB through the IF. You had a SB, sac bunt, two more singles through the inning... I believe they were on the ground. He kept the ball down. 

But "savior" for the Brewers? That's an entirely new one to me. Just an imperfect #3 option. 

[BrewerFan]

2 hours ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Have you ever considered that one of the reasons Vaughn has been effective this year is because the Brewers have set him up optimally matchup-wise for the most part?

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2026/10/01/milwaukee-brewers-manager-pat-murphy-maximises-andrew-vaughn-joey-ortiz/91816301007/

Considered... I don't really buy it. I think it's a tough spot, but he's giving us really good ABs vs righties as well.

It's just kinda tough because the ABs I'd HAVE taken from Vaughn would have been #1-Yelich and if you play Vaughn everyday you're losing a lot on defense... so it's hard, but I think Vaughn is a very good hitter and no, I don't think it's because of how he's been used. He came over last year and he got plenty of ABs vs RHers and he was good. 
This year he's very good(when that's his weak split) also. 

I'm definitely keeping him and handing the 1B job to him next year. I just don't know... how you decide who gets the ABs this year. 

[owbc]

The thing about Vaughn is that he has a good baseline but there are similar-ish options against righties. With the right matchup he turns into a baseball god. So with the postseason being mostly bullpen chess matches, the ideal move is to hold him out of the lineup and wait for the right moment to deploy him. 

My conspiracy theory is also that he's still not 100% and can't handle much heavier usage than he's currently getting. 

[Brewcrew82]

Just now, BrewerFan said:

Considered... I don't really buy it. I think it's a tough spot, but he's giving us really good ABs vs righties as well.

It's just kinda tough because the ABs I'd HAVE taken from Vaughn would have been #1-Yelich and if you play Vaughn everyday you're losing a lot on defense... so it's hard, but I think Vaughn is a very good hitter and no, I don't think it's because of how he's been used. He came over last year and he got plenty of ABs vs RHers and he was good. 
This year he's very good(when that's his weak split) also. 

I'm definitely keeping him and handing the 1B job to him next year. I just don't know... how you decide who gets the ABs this year. 

Did you read the article? 

[RWeeksFan23]

17 hours ago, ImissDougMelvin said:

Sorry to keep saying it, but that's why I'm frustrated they didn't steal with Yelly. That ground ball would have tied it. That's one thing that perplexes me about them, they steal bases, it's part of what they do, then they get in the postseason and don't run. They didn't last year either

Yelich isn't even fast any more. Not worth making a potential out on the bases.

[Brewcrew82]

45 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

I’ve read the article and I don’t really subscribe to the theory that Vaughn would just suck if he played more. He has about 550 plate appearances as a Brewer now and has been remarkably consistent. It’s not like they’ve completely limited him to LH pitching as he’s faced more RHP.

I'm not saying he should be run into the ground but under 300 ABs in a full season is a little ridiculous.

It just seems more like a convenient way to explain away the playing time discrepancy rather than being anything based in real data. 

No one says he would suck, though as the article points out he definitely has major issues hitting east-west, it's just that he's not really any better of an option against RHP than the alternatives and he lacks defensive flexibility. It's a different story against north-south and LHP especially. 

Bauers really killed his playing time, and for good reason. 

[adambr2]

18 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

I think I hated that trade more than anyone, but May was the OBVIOUS starter last night... and I haven't seen a single person insinuate he was the "savior of this pitching staff." Show me who said that and... I'll argue with them! 
 

-Dominated Padres this year in 3 starts.
-He has elite stuff. We saw that. 
-He was hardly bad as people are inferring, but that's the outcome, I'm talking about the reason for starting him. I don't like  the lefties vs the Padres. Gm3 vs LAD, sure, Drohan for 2-3, Maybe feel out Harrison(that'd be nice if he could throw like he did his last outing). But vs SD? A soft tossing left? 

I hope tonight proves me wrong, but then... you still had him to come back to. With Priester out, Woodruff, then Kyle Harrison going from Co-Ace to... not good, I think telling May to go out there and empty the tank was the right choice. 


Even the sequence where they scored, you have a GB through the IF. You had a SB, sac bunt, two more singles through the inning... I believe they were on the ground. He kept the ball down. 

But "savior" for the Brewers? That's an entirely new one to me. Just an imperfect #3 option. 

“Savior” is a bit of an embellishment, but I am referring to the people that have said repeatedly that we had absolutely no choice but to make that trade, because without it, the rest of our staff would have been overburdened and we needed May to eat up the innings he ate up for us and we therefore won the trade because we have no idea right now if Frias and Ragsdale will ever be anything.

[Team Canada]

17 minutes ago, RWeeksFan23 said:

Yelich isn't even fast any more. Not worth making a potential out on the bases.

I read that as attempt a double steal while Yelich was batting to take away the double play. But stealing third is riskier than 2nd (I assume? I haven't actually look at stats).

[BrewerFan]

6 hours ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

What I wouldn't give for a solid, boring 8-1 win tonight ...

I mean, at least one kid. I have 3... they're costly. Two of them are twins, so... ya know, what are you REALLY missing there? They're the same! 






(I know we're supposed to use blue, but... I'd hope on some we wouldn't have to). 

[RWeeksFan23]

8 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Is Yelich just completely unplayable at 1B?  I know it’s been speculated, 

I am not talking for this season of course but with a full offseason and spring training of prep? Surely he can’t really be a downgrade from Bauers/Vaughn defensively, 

I ask this because I would guess Bauers and possibly even Vaughn won’t be back, we will probably need a short term bridge at 1st, and it would be nice to be able to spread the DH around a little bit and not have it completely limited to Yelich each night, 

it sounds great in theory, but him having to dive for ground balls in the infield wouldn't be ideal for someone with a bad back.

[BrewerFan]

26 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

“Savior” is a bit of an embellishment, but I am referring to the people that have said repeatedly that we had absolutely no choice but to make that trade, because without it, the rest of our staff would have been overburdened and we needed May to eat up the innings he ate up for us and we therefore won the trade because we have no idea right now if Frias and Ragsdale will ever be anything.

Oh, on THAT, I hate the trade, I hated the trade then, I continue to hate the trade. You don't give up 18-year-olds with that type of talent(don't care so much about Ragsdale TBH). 

I felt BETTER because you had another 18-year-old kid come up and hit well, but Frias looks like that true power hitter who bucks the Brewers trends a bit. Not a great defender. More like a young... not Yordan Alvarez, but POTENTIALLY a big power hitter. Maybe he flames out, I just would not ever make THAT trade). I literally even ended the Jose Soriano trade by saying I hope they don't do the VERY thing they did. Trade a guy LIKE Frias for a rental... and then they did. 

But I already beat that dead horse. He's now on the team. So at THAT point... I'm just going to root for the team. If we'd have traded Henderson, Pena and Adamczewski for Skubal, I'd have hated it, but now I'd be rooting for Skubal. 

I'm trying to separate the trade from the decision now... and I liked May, he came out and looked great and then the Pads got some GB base hits. So agree on the trade, but that's over now. 

As for tonights game, I think I'd personally go Patrick for 2-3 IP, then Gasser in the right spot, then BP.