LOS ANGELES -- In a game that holds the power to save or sink their season, the Brewers turned to a man who had thrown a grand total of 49 pitches over the past month.
With the Brewers trailing the Dodgers, 3-0, in the series, left-hander Jose Quintana will get the start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Friday. It’s a reasonable assignment for Quintana, a 14-year veteran and one of Milwaukee’s most consistent starters during the regular season.
The trouble is Quintana suffered a left calf strain on Sept. 14 and spent the rest of that month recuperating. He did not reappear until Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Cubs, throwing 49 pitches over three scoreless innings. It was a promising outing for Quintana, who said he felt “great” and “was ready to keep going in that game.” But there are still no guarantees how much Quintana can give the Brewers against Los Angeles’ potent lineup -- or in a win-or-go-home game, how much manager Pat Murphy will ask him to.
“Postseason is completely different,” Quintana said. “You don’t have limits. You always face batter-by-batter, hitter-by-hitter and just focus to keep it going, because for all pitchers it can be short.”
Their best options for length are him and Chad Patrick, a rookie right-hander who last appeared in Game 1. But Patrick hasn’t thrown more than 25 pitches in an outing since Sept. 24, making him perhaps even less suited than Quintana to provide significant innings.
The Brewers also must balance the idea of winning Game 4 at all costs with the reality that nothing really matters unless they win four in a row. Regardless of how they play it, they should have everyone other than Freddy Peralta and Jacob Misiorowski available.
“Everybody knows what we’ve got,” Murphy said.
Still, Quintana handled the Dodgers capably during the regular season, facing them in two consecutive July outings. In the first of those games, Quintana held the Dodgers to one run over six innings in Milwaukee. Eleven days later, after the All-Star break, he limited them to four runs over another six innings at Dodger Stadium. Shohei Ohtani homered off Quintana during the rematch, but otherwise much of the damage came from the bottom half of the lineup.
“I know we’re focused,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I know we’re not going to beat ourselves. … If somebody is going to beat us, they’re going to have to beat us.”
That’s not an ideal outlook for Quintana, who thrives on soft contact, keeping the ball away from the barrel and coaxing opposing hitters to chase. He’s made a career of it. He’s very good at it. But at age 36, Quintana’s margin for error has slimmed. His strikeout rate during the regular season was the lowest of his career. His walk rate rose to its highest point since 2021, and his expected ERA (5.18) was more than a full run higher than his actual ERA (3.96), suggesting the left-hander enjoyed a run of good fortune.
The Dodgers, like the Brewers, are not a team that chases. They also punish mistakes as well as anyone and boasted the NL’s highest OPS against left-handed pitchers.
“I’ve been watching videos, the whole lineup … Shohei, Freddie [Freeman], all the lefties are really, really tough,” Quintana said. “They are [some] of the best hitters in baseball. It’s always a challenge.”
None of this is to suggest Quintana will melt before the task. His big-game credentials -- including a 3.25 ERA over nine career playoff appearances (seven starts) with the Cubs (2017), Cardinals ('22), Mets ('24) and Brewers ('25) -- are solid. But there is no margin for error. One bad inning, and Quintana could be out of the game. One bad outing, and the Brewers’ season will likely end.
Not that a 14-year veteran is sweating it.
“To get this opportunity, I think it’s a privilege,” Quintana said. “Right now, we are focused to win a game, the first game. And after, we can focus on another game. But L.A. always is a big crowd. It’s huge. The fans are amazing. We’ve been here before, so we know how it is.”