MILWAUKEE – The Brewers will try something new on Saturday to see how it feels with postseason roster decisions looming.
Jacob Misiorowski is set to pitch in relief for the first time in the big leagues.
The plan calls for fellow rookie Robert Gasser to start Saturday’s game against the Reds at American Family Field and for the 23-year-old Misiorowski to follow. Gasser’s pitch count will be once again limited in his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, leaving plenty of runway for Misiorowski to work in a potential preview of a multi-inning relief role in October.
“I want to see how he handles the moment, you know what I mean?” Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook said. “Does that dial him in more? Does that give him a refresher, like when he first got in the big leagues? Is it going to be that live body that we were accustomed to? I just want to see how he reacts more than anything and see if he’s comfortable in the moment.”
“I think we’ll know early in the outing,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’ll monitor it, but I think he’s an important piece. I think he’s got huge upside and he’s got huge possibilities for us. And I think he can help us right now.”
The move comes with Misiorowski sporting a 6.23 ERA in his past seven starts since returning from a stint on the injured list for a bruised shin. He threw 77 pitches for 11 outs in his most recent start, a Sept. 19 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis, after which Murphy said it’s unlikely that Misiorowski would start for the Brewers in the NLDS.
But that still leaves open the possibility of deploying his triple-digit fastball in a bullpen role, which is not entirely foreign to Misiorowski. Last year, he shifted to the bullpen for Triple-A Nashville late in the season, just in case the Brewers had a bullpen need down the stretch. He had a 1.84 ERA in 12 relief outings, with 19 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings, and even picked up a save.
But it turned out the Brewers didn’t have a need, so Misiorowski didn’t make his Major League debut until this June as a starter. He’s mostly been in that role since, with time in the bullpen earlier this week while the Brewers were in San Diego. Misiorowski wound up not pitching.
His confidence was sky-high as he pitched his way to the earliest invitation on record to an All-Star Game, but has been “in the middle” for much of the second half, Hook said.
“I think he’s very excited for this moment [Saturday],” Hook said. “I can see he perked up a little bit. We all believe he’s a starter. He believes he’s a starter. But this is exciting for him, and I think ‘exciting’ is good for a young player.”