Brewers giving early-season rotation mainstay another big-league opportunity in today's doubleheader

Two months ago, the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs were rained out at Wrigley Field in what was supposed to be Jacob Misiorowski's first matchup against the Crew's heated division rivals. Rather than reschedule that game for the following day, as is often the case when games get rained on days that precede the series finale, the two teams (heavily influenced by the Cubs) elected to postpone the makeup game to when the teams would matchup again at Wrigley Field, which happens to be today. However, what makes the rescheduling even more perplexing is the fact that the Brewers and Cubs were already scheduled to play four games in Chicago this week, meaning the NL Central rivals will square off for a rare five-game series over the next four days.

Ironically, the Cubs, who reportedly pushed for the game to be rescheduled for today, are the ones who are starved for starting pitching and are therefore more affected by the outcome of playing five games in four days. While the Cubs should get some help by returning injured-starter Jameson Taillon to their rotation for this week's series, concerns exist about how late in the game Taillon will be able to pitch, which could impact the Cubs' bullpen strategy throughout the series.

Meanwhile, the Brewers, who are in the midst of 19 games in 18 days, simply needed to call up one of their talented Triple-A starters to fill the void in their starting rotation caused by the confusing scheduling decision. Luckily for the Crew, the starter they are calling up has plenty of experience pitching in the big leagues this season.

Brewers call up Chad Patrick to start game two of today's doubleheader

The Milwaukee Brewers are calling up Chad Patrick as the 27th man for today's doubleheader. Teams are allowed to call up one extra player to help them navigate the roster decisions presented by having to play two games in one day. Patrick will reportedly start the second game of today's doubleheader, as mentioned by MLB.com's Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy in his FAQ article regarding this week's Brewers-Cubs series.

Patrick hasn't pitched since last Tuesday, meaning he is more than fresh enough to pitch deep into Tuesday night's game and hopefully save some of the Brewers' relievers for the rest of the series.

The Brewers' rookie holds a 3.52 ERA through 18 MLB starts this season, and still leads all National League rookie pitchers in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) despite not pitching in the majors for the last six weeks. Patrick hasn't been quite as sharp in the minor leagues over the last month or so, posting a 4.68 ERA in six starts, but the added pressure of being back in the majors and pitching at Wrigley Field in an important matchup should help Patrick, who hasn't shied away from any challenge the Brewers have thrown his way, lock in and deliver his best stuff.

It's bound to be one heck of a day in Chicago, and with Freddy Peralta and Chad Patrick lined up to start, the Crew should hold the advantage in the pitching matchups. But, despite the Brewers playing their best baseball of the season and the Cubs playing their worst, anything can happen in baseball. That is, after all, why they play the games.