MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers reinstated All-Star closer Trevor Megill and left-hander DL Hall for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Reds, giving two key bullpen arms a chance to test their health ahead of the National League Division Series.
Megill threw a scoreless fourth inning with two strikeouts in his first outing since suffering a right flexor strain on Aug. 24, and Hall overcame a leadoff homer in the third to deliver three outs of his own in his first outing since suffering a right oblique injury on Aug. 15.
They both had faced hitters prior to Sunday in batting practice settings, Hall most recently on Thursday in Arizona and Megill on Friday in Milwaukee. But nothing beats a real game, especially one with some implications.
The Reds went into Sunday needing a victory or a Mets loss to clinch the NL’s final Wild Card berth (they got the latter). The Brewers already had the NL’s No. 1 seed locked up along with home-field advantage throughout the postseason, but they required Sunday's 4-2 victory for win No. 97 this season, a franchise record.
“It’s great to be part of a win and getting the franchise record,” Megill said. “That’s just huge, being in a game and just feeling what it feels like to be out there, and having some success, too. It’s a great feeling.”
The Brewers wasted no time deploying their returning arms in the game. Hall took over from starter Freddy Peralta in the third inning and surrendered a leadoff home run to TJ Friedl, but the lefty retired the next three hitters on seven total pitches while topping out at 95.8 mph. Megill then pitched the fourth and retired the Reds 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts, his 12th and final pitch topping out at 98.1 mph.
The 31-year-old finished with a 2.49 ERA and 30 saves in 50 appearances this season, and he was an All-Star for the first time in his career. But Megill absorbed blown saves in three of his final four outings before landing on the IL.
"Here's the thing," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of getting Megill back before the pressure of the postseason. "It will help him, and it'll keep us from making that decision in more simulated-type situations during the next week, which are harder to get a full assessment on."
Mission accomplished against the Reds, said Murphy, who sees another tick of velocity in Megill’s near future.
“When you feel like you’re healthy, like, ‘OK, I’m not babying it, I feel like I’m healthy,’ then you’ve got a shot,” Murphy said. “And I think he will rise to the occasion.”
Hall was sidelined longer, so he may require more evaluation over the coming days. He fniished with a 3.49 ERA in 20 mostly multi-inning appearances for the Brewers this season. When healthy, he was a useful left-handed option alongside Aaron Ashby and Rob Zastryzny, sometimes pitching as an opener ahead of right-handed starter Quinn Priester when the matchup was right.
Teams must set a 26-man roster on the morning of Game 1 of each round of the postseason. For the Brewers, that is Saturday, when they will host the winner of the Padres-Cubs NL Wild Card Series at American Family Field.
Megill plans to be part of it.
“I’m ready to go wherever they want to plug and play me throughout the postseason,” he said. “I’m ready for it. We’ll see how they want to run it.”