Miz available in relief for Game 4? 'Could be'
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SAN DIEGO -- Keep an eye out during shots of the Brewers’ bullpen in Wednesday’s Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
You might see Jacob Misiorowski available in relief.
“Could be. Could be,” manager Pat Murphy said.
It’s not exactly an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Brewers, who remained in the driver’s seat in the best-of-five series -- leading San Diego 2-1 -- after dropping Game 3 on Tuesday night. But there is a scenario in which the Brewers use Misiorowski in relief in an effort to close out the series, and still have him available to start a Game 5 on Friday night in Milwaukee -- if there is one.
“He’s turned on,” said pitching coach Chris Hook. “He's ready to go.”
The Marlins used a similar strategy with their ace, Sandy Alcantara, down the stretch of the regular season. Alcantara logged three saves while pitching on what traditionally would have been his throwing day between starts.
“It won't be just because,” Murphy said of the possibility of Misiorowski in relief. “We've got to be smart about it and look at the situation. But I think our pitching is in good shape.”
The Brewers have closer Trevor Megill and setup man Aaron Ashby rested after neither pitched in Game 3. They also went into Game 4 with plenty of length behind starter Robert Gasser, since multi-inning lefties Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison had yet to pitch in the NLDS.
The role to watch for could be right-handed setup. Abner Uribe pitched in each of the first three games of the series, and an outing in Game 4 would represent a fourth appearance in five days. Right-hander Antonio Senzatela also pitched in Game 3 and threw 14 pitches.
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“We're exposed a little bit. Each team has seen each other a lot,” Murphy said. “That's part of what makes this a great series. I don't know about the other series. I've got too much on my plate to follow all the other series, but this series has just been unbelievable. And who has deserved to win which game? It's like, Game 1, who should have won? Game 2, really? [Tuesday], really? It's just how it works, so you've just got to keep grinding and enjoy it.”