Quick Takeaways from Brewers Starter Jacob Misiorowski Outdueling Paul Skenes

You could see that Jacob Misiorowski was pumped up for the challenge of pitching opposite Pirates ace Paul Skenes Wednesday. In the first inning alone, Misiorowski threw six fastballs that touched or exceeded 101 miles per hour, including one that hit 102. The lanky righthander walked the leadoff man and looked slightly shaky out of the gate, getting so focused on the batter that he allowed Pittsburgh's Adam Frazier to steal second base far too easily. Frazier moved over to third base on the first out, a deep fly ball—and then Misiorowski buckled down. With a key strikeout of Spencer Horwitz and another of Nick Gonzales to end the inning, Misiorowski put down the rally without falling behind.

That set the tone for the day. Misiorowski's command was not pristine, but as has been true in each of his previous appearances, his stuff overwhelmed his opponents. Bryan Reynolds had one clean hit, a liner through the right side. Tommy Pham had a cheapier of an infield single that dribbled toward shortstop, too slow to make a play on. Every time there was traffic to deal with, though, Misiorowski locked in and executed brilliantly. His slider had some of the best command he's shown of it, often dancing right on the glove-side edge of the plate.

He also showed good feel for his curveball, the pitch that figures to net him more swings and misses than the slider (or even that superheated fastball) will. He threw just five of them, but got two whiffs out of three swings. With the slider (hard and tight enough to be a cutter, really) to set it up, if Misiorowski can start the curve on the outer half to a righty and let it drop out of the zone low and away, he should get lots of chases, and batters will regret those swings. He also went to the changeup in a couple of tight spots, showing emerging trust in it and reflecting the sound leadership of veteran catcher Eric Haase.

After that first frame, it was a while before we saw 101 again from Misiorowski. He's already showing the ability to operate at 98-99 mph, adding and subtracting as the situation demands. If (as Skenes, his counterpart Wednesday, now does) he can consistently pitch a few ticks below his maximum velocity, it will augur well for his ability to stay healthy and stick in the rotation. It helps tremendously, of course, that his max velocity appears to be pushing 103 mph.

In the fourth, when he needed to get Oneil Cruz out to escape with his shutout intact, Misiorowski dialed up three more fastballs that topped 101 mph, including one at 102.4. He also tried a changeup, which registered at 94.6. It will be important that he learns to dial it up only intentionally, and not just by getting carried away in big moments, but Misiorowski is showing a situational feel for his whole arsenal, which is very exciting. Multiple times, he came off the mound after escaping miniature jams with a shout or fist pump, and an enthusiastic slap of hands with Haase near the dugout.

Now 16 innings into his career, Misiorowski has allowed just three hits and two runs. He struck out eight in his five frames Wednesday, and left with a 4-0 lead. He only needed 74 pitches to get through those innings, too, so his arm should be fairly fresh when he pitches next, likely Tuesday in New York. 

As great as Jackson Chourio is, his game doesn't set the TV on fire quite the way Misiorowski's does. It's been a long time since the Brewers had a player who could become the whole story of a game on a regular basis, and that's what Misiorowski can be. Wednesday provided new evidence of forward progress in his development, and it's clear that he can consistently shut down big-league offenses. If he's also modulating his effort the way he seems to be, then the even better news is that he's giving himself a good chance to stay on the mound deep into this season, and beyond.