SAN DIEGO -- Much had been said about how dominant the Padres’ bullpen had been coming into the National League Division Series. But the Brewers’ stable of arms had been every bit as good.
When the two stacked up against each other in the best-of-five series, though, the initial instinct was to probably bank on the San Diego ‘pen -- which boasted more depth than any other team and featured Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon at the back end -- taking control of the series. It had done so all season long.
But the Brewers knew better. And they proved it.
As the Padres’ supercharged relief corp sputtered and ultimately ran out of gas in Wednesday night’s Game 4, Milwaukee’s unit pushed the pedal to the floor and kept on cruising. Following former Padres prospect Robert Gasser' four solid innings, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill held San Diego’s lineup hitless in a 3-1 series-clinching victory that sent the Brewers to the NL Championship Series to face the Dodgers for the second straight year.
Across a series in which all four games were decided by two runs or fewer, Milwaukee’s bullpen allowed three runs (one earned) to the Padres’ seven (six earned). In Game 4, it was a catalyst in helping the Brewers snap their 12-game road postseason losing streak that dated back to Game 5 of the 2018 NLCS.
“Our bullpen, we’ve been doing this for the last three weeks of the season,” Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook said. “It’s a really good rehearsal for what we’re going to have to do. … To see it come to fruition has been great.”
At the center of it was Ashby, whom the Brewers tabbed more than anyone in the regular season (75 appearances, 89 1/3 innings pitched) and in three of the four NLDS matchups. And he delivered once again.
While the Padres cycled through four pitchers to get from the fourth inning through the seventh, Milwaukee rode Ashby for three exceptional frames to bridge the gap to Uribe in the eighth. Ashby entered the game in the bottom of the fifth, shortly after Jackson Chourio gave the Brewers a 2-1 lead in the top half with an RBI single, and he proceeded to walk a pair and strike out three. Manager Pat Murphy was tempted to let him go for a fourth inning, but decided the left-hander had done more than enough.
"I almost left him in,” Murphy said. “He wanted to. But sometimes you have a feel, and three innings were what was called for tonight. And he got it done."
That faith was not lost on a champagne-soaked Ashby in the Petco Park visitors’ clubhouse afterward.
“I told him when I walked in here, ‘Thank you for trusting me with the game right there,’” Ashby said. “When a manager has trust in you like that, it gives you even more confidence to go out there and do what you’re capable of.”
Uribe then was called upon to face the top of the Padres’ order. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. and struck out Jackson Merrill on a nasty 89.2 mph slider below the zone. The next at-bat gave him and the Brewers quite the scare, though.
Manny Machado got a hold of Uribe’s second offering -- a 99.6 mph sinker down and in to the right-handed hitter -- and sent it to the wall in right-center field, where Garrett Mitchell was positioned to make the catch with a slight leap. The ball wouldn’t have been a homer at Petco, according to Statcast, but had the trajectory been slightly higher, the game would’ve likely been tied.
Ty France popped out to end the threat moments later.
“To me, that might’ve been the inning of the night,” Hook said. “For him to get through that part of the lineup and squash them there, that was really important.”
Megill’s save sealed the deal, with the closer striking out pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets swinging to book a date with the mighty Dodgers, beginning Sunday in Milwaukee.
“None of this would happen without the guys in front of me doing their best,” Megill said.
The best part of it all? The Brewers didn’t have to use Jacob Misiorowski, who was seen warming up as Megill got the first out of the ninth. It turns out he was just getting his work in.
This is what the Brewers’ ‘pen has consistently done for a while now. They built it for nights like Wednesday.
“When we come in with the lead, we’re confident that we’ll be able to win the game,” Uribe said.
Now it’s on to the Dodgers. These players know how it all went down in last year’s NLCS. They’ll never forget it.
But the Brewers believe this season will be different. Their bullpen is a big reason why.
“I think this is a different group,” Hook said. “I think we’re ready to go.”