The Wild Cards: Brewers Will Lean on Bullpen Chaos to End NLDS in San Diego

Teams rarely roster 13 pitchers in the Division Series. In a five-game series with two travel days, that extra pitcher probably won't be needed, especially if a team gets enough innings from its starters. Carrying an extra catcher, defensive specialist, or speedy runner is a better use of that final spot. The Brewers don't have that luxury. They have a deep pitching staff, but they entered the NLDS without a reliable traditional starter behind Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. That meant it would be all hands on deck for Games 3 and 4, so the Brewers loaded up on arms.

Dustin May got the ball for Game 3 for a (planned) short start. He pitched fine in three-plus innings, but he failed to control the running game and lost control after a pair of run-scoring ground balls. The Brewers could never fully catch up against the Padres' bullpen, forcing a Game 4 wherein that extra depth will come into play.

Because they carried 13 pitchers, Milwaukee has more fresh arms than San Diego. Pat Murphy still hasn't used four of them in the series: Robert Gasser, Chad Patrick, Shane Drohan, and Kyle Harrison. That's partly because they were always on the roster to pitch in a potential Game 4 more than anything else, but also because Murphy preferred more trustworthy relievers in three very close games so far.

Patrick and Drohan battled wildness in September. Harrison's excellent fastball disappeared for most of the second half before returning in his last couple of outings. Gasser's peripherals didn't fully support his strong stretch run. All four had pronounced platoon splits in the regular season, so the Brewers must use them carefully in short playoff series, where individual matchups matter more.

Murphy declined to name a Game 4 starter on Tuesday night, but he mentioned Gasser, Patrick, and Drohan as candidates. Starting Patrick as an opener might make the most sense. In all five of their playoff games, the Padres have started right-handed hitters Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Ty France in three of the top four lineup spots. Opening with a righty reliever would also force Craig Stammen to choose which platoon bats to start in the bottom half of the order.

From there, it's a matter of lining up matchups through the middle innings. If Stammen starts his lefties, it could create a pocket for Harrison near the bottom of the lineup. Machado has struggled against lefty sinker-slider pairings like Drohan's. Gasser could get the most runway as a true bulk guy: he has the lowest opposite-hand opponent wOBA, and his four-seamer and cutter have neutralized righties at times.

The Brewers should still be fine in the late innings. DL Hall and JoJo Romero may be down after multi-inning outings, but Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill have had two days off, and Abner Uribe threw just seven pitches in Game 3. Before that, though, expect plenty of mixing and matching with the guys who haven't pitched yet. To prevent the series from returning to Milwaukee for an elimination Game 5, the Brewers need their wild card pitchers to step up.

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