MILWAUKEE – Dustin May wobbled down the stretch for the Brewers, but he’ll get the ball to start Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday at Petco Park.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy made that pronouncement before Game 2, citing May’s postseason experience with the Dodgers and his success this season against the Padres in two starts with the Cardinals and one with the Brewers, who acquired May with reliever JoJo Romero in a Trade Deadline deal with the Cardinals.
“We brought him in to do that,” Murphy said.
May allowed three earned runs over 13 innings in his first two Brewers starts before going 1-2 with a 7.61 ERA over his final eight outings, starting with a two-inning, seven-run outing against the Mariners at home before an Aug. 26 start at Citi Field against the Mets in which May was struck by a comebacker on the very first pitch and had to leave the game.
He was able to start again four days later, but allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Rangers and lamented, “It sucks to be sucking right now.”
September was no kinder, despite May and the Brewers being pleased with his raw stuff. The club tried to help May through it by pitching him more often, in shorter bursts, in his final three outings of the regular season, capped by a three-inning start against the Cardinals on Sept. 26.
Here’s one big factor in the Brewers’ decision to stick with him: May had a 1.23 ERA in his three starts against San Diego this season, with 22 strikeouts in 22 innings.
“If you look at his numbers this year versus the Padres, it’s better than anyone,” Murphy said of carrying May on the roster for this series. “And he’s got some experience in this situation. That wasn’t a tough one.”
Depending on bullpen usage in Game 2, the Brewers should have plenty of innings available behind May should he run into trouble. Milwaukee carried multiple left-handed starting pitchers as relievers in this series, including the fully stretched-out Robert Gasser along with Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison, who finished the year pitching in shorter stints.