Brewers' 2025 unsung hero proves he belongs on the postseason roster

Wednesday afternoon's series finale win was not just an important avoidance of a late-season sweep; for the Milwaukee Brewers, it was a chance to see a candidate for the postseason roster deliver what could be his final audition before the team has to make some very difficult decisions.

Chad Patrick tossed three scoreless innings in yesterday's matinee, collecting six strikeouts while allowing just two hits. Patrick was pitching in 2025 breakout pitcher Quinn Priester's spot in an effort to give Priester extra rest for the stretch run, while also allowing Patrick the opportunity to prove why he belongs on the playoff roster. After 57 pitches, the 27-year-old rookie handed the ball over to Erick Fedde, who covered the next eight outs while allowing just one earned run.

In the end, the Brewers essentially got a full start from the combination of Patrick and Fedde, exposing a piggy-back strategy that the team could adopt in the postseason. While it may not be Fedde who backs up Patrick in the postseason, should he be offered the opportunity to start a game in October, there's reason to believe that pairing Patrick with another arm could be the way that the Brewers navigate the later games of a postseason series.

Chad Patrick shows how he can be an effective piece of the postseason puzzle

With Priester and Freddy Peralta at the top of their rotation, and a stacked bullpen full of arms who can cover multiple innings, the Brewers do not necessarily need their game three starter to go deep into the game. Hopefully, that short start will be provided by Brandon Woodruff or José Quintana, but if neither of those two veteran arms is not back from their respective injuries before game three of the NLDS, Patrick might be the best remaining option.

The rookie right-hander has consistently given Milwaukee a chance to win when he takes the mound, only surrendering more than three earned runs in a start three times this season. Each of those three outings came during a rough stretch in the middle of June that saw Patrick's ERA raise by nearly one run in less than two weeks. However, outside of that rough patch, Patrick has been nails in his rookie season, with a sparkling 3.56 ERA to prove it.

As opposed to someone like Jacob Misiorowski, who has the potential to either put up a 10-strikeout no-hit bid or surrender five runs in two innings, Patrick is a much steadier arm, one with a higher floor and lower ceiling, if you will. That kind of consistency is exactly what the Brewers need in the postseason. So long as they are within striking distance, with a chance to to win the game, the Brewers' brand of baseball which involves forcing other teams to make uncomfortable pitches and complete difficult plays in the field, will remain effective. When that strategy starts to fail is when the Brewers have to overcome a major deficit and need extra-base hits to do so, as is occasionally the case when The Miz takes the mound.

Patrick has been a steady force at the beginning of games each time his number has been called. If Woody and Quintana can't go in the NLDS, Patrick is the type of pitcher the Brewers should turn to in order to get off on the right foot in game three. It won't and shouldn't be a long start for Patrick, but if he can provide two or three clean innings like he did last night, the Brewers should be able to fill the rest of the innings with their talented bullpen.