The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 9-5 on Wednesday night, despite Jacob Misiorowski having his worst start of the year.
Misiorowski is the National League Cy Young Award favorite and had not allowed more than three earned runs in a start all season. However, he gave up five earned runs in just four innings of work on Wednesday. There are very few questions about the Brewers' starting pitching going into October. However, their offense is a different story.
They have hit the fewest home runs in baseball, and the fear is that their style of offense will not play in the postseason. Last season, that was the case. Many are expecting the starting rotation and Misiorowski to carry the Brewers in October, but on Wednesday they showed that they can pick up their ace if they need to.
The Brewers erased a two run defecit and the bullpen showed why it was one of the best in baseball on Wednesday. The Brewers bullpen covered five innings, allowing just two baserunners. JoJo Romero looked sharp in the second game of a back-to-back. Antonio Senzatela has been great as of late, and then Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill proved why they are the best back-end trio of relievers in the big leagues.
Wednesday night's game is just one of 162 in a long regular season. However, the Cubs are one of the best offenses in baseball, especially at home. The Brewers ace did not have his best stuff, but the offense and bullpen proved that they are capable of getting the job done regardless.
The Brewers' ability to hit off good pitchers in October will decide if they can win it all. They are not going to slug their way to a championship, and Wednesday proved they can play their style of baseball against a good team on the road and win even if their starting pitching isn't at its best.