MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers have reason to believe this year will be different. Because these Brewers are different.
And the biggest reason these Brewers are different? The ace they’ve got on the mound in Game 1.
Which isn’t to diminish the role Jacob Misiorowski played a year ago, when Milwaukee was swept at this very stage by the very same team. Misiorowski was excellent in last year’s National League Championship Series against the Dodgers. But he only pitched once, in relief.
Consider this hugely important difference: This year, the Brewers dispatched the Padres in Game 4 on Wednesday night in San Diego. Misiorowski watched it all from the left-center-field bullpen at Petco Park. He tossed a few pitches in that bullpen during the ninth inning. But he didn’t waste a single in-game bullet.
“It was huge,” said Misiorowski, speaking at Saturday’s workout day at American Family Field. “It was huge for our bullpen to pull it together and really do their job and handle business. Setting up the starting staff was huge. It gets me, [Logan Henderson] and the rest of the guys ready to go.”
For a second consecutive October, Milwaukee is set to face Los Angeles with the NL pennant on the line. Game 1 is slated for Sunday night, and Misiorowski will take the ball first.
He will do so with a week’s worth of rest between starts. Theoretically, that would line him up to start Games 1 and 5, presumably with Logan Henderson going Games 2 and 6. It could also line up Misiorowski to come out of the bullpen if the series comes back to Milwaukee for Games 6 and 7. Maybe he’d come out of the ‘pen at some other juncture. Maybe you’d consider throwing him on short rest.
The point is: Misiorowski is fresh, which means the Brewers have options.
“We’re fortunate that we didn't have to use them there in the Padres series at the end,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said of Misiorowski and Henderson. “And to have them stacked for the start of the series is something we're excited to have, for sure.”
A year ago, Misiorowski was called upon for four innings of relief against the Cubs in Game 5 of the NL Division Series. As such, he was unavailable for the first two games of the NLCS at American Family Field.
Misiorowski pitched five excellent relief innings against the Dodgers in Game 3 last year, allowing an earned run while striking out nine. He would finish that playoff run with a 1.50 ERA across three outings, setting him up for the success he would have this summer.
“It just gave me confidence in my abilities,” Misiorowski said. “It's more just confidence and capability in myself to do my job and perform the way I want to.”
This year, Misiorowski finished as the Major League leader in ERA (1.80), strikeouts (252), WHIP (0.80) and opponents’ average (.157) across 174 incredible innings. His fastball routinely exceeded 100 mph. He became the first player to lead the Majors in ERA, strikeouts and opponents' average since Houston’s Mike Scott, 40 years ago.
And he’s got that year of experience under his belt. Misiorowski is undeniably a better pitcher than he was entering last year’s NLCS. More consistent, certainly. Next month, he will almost certainly take home the National League Cy Young Award.
But we can be honest here: These are the games that will come to define his season. And it can only help that he’s fully rested -- and that he’s done it before.
“Confidence, I think that was the big one,” Misiorowski said. “Going into last year's postseason, I didn't know if I was going to be on the roster. I didn't know if I was going to make it and help the team. This year they trust me a little bit more. So it's a little easier to get behind yourself."
By no means was Misiorowski at his best last week against the Padres. They worked him to the tune of 88 pitches across four innings in Game 1 of the NLDS. He allowed two early runs, but minimized the damage and put Milwaukee in position to win.
“I kind of came into it with a little more adrenaline and kind of went at it a little harder than I was hoping,” Misiorowski said. “They fouled stuff off, so it kind of just got deeper and deeper. They had a game plan and did their job.”
There’s symbolism in Misiorowski taking the ball in Game 1 of the NLCS this year. This time around, the Brewers and Dodgers are on even footing. They both won their Division Series in four games. They’ve both had the same amount of rest. They’ve both been building toward this moment.
Milwaukee always needed to be at its best for this showdown. And, sure enough, when the Brewers' bullpen nailed down the last five innings on Wednesday night, they knew exactly what it meant.
“It was sick for the bullpen to keep that guy fresh,” said closer Trevor Megill. “So he can take care of Game 1. I’m glad he didn’t come in. We didn’t really need him.”
Over the next 10 days, they sure will -- on Sunday night, and perhaps a couple more times.