Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski must shut down Game 4 bullpen narrative with World Series-clinching performance

The Milwaukee Brewers had a chance to end the World Series on Tuesday night. After Cooper Pratt's heroic solo homer in the top of the 12th inning, the Brewers held a one-run lead with just three outs to get. The issue, however, was that who would collect those three outs remained up in the air.

Unsurprisingly, given the fact that the Brewers threw a bullpen game that went to the 12th inning, Milwaukee had exhausted pretty much all of their relief options (at least the ones they feel comfortable pitching in a close game) by the time the 12th inning came around. As a result, manager Pat Murphy opted to leave Antonio Senzatela in for the first batter of the frame, Junior Caminero -- a decision that worked out, but was spoiled by a throwing error from Joey Ortiz on a routine grounder to third base. Then, Murphy turned to rookie southpaw Shane Drohan, who allowed four consecutive singles and watched the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate a walk-off victory.

The outcome of the 12th inning, and Murphy's typical "go for the kill" mentality, led many to question why the Brewers didn't turn to their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, to close out the World Series, as many teams have done in years past. Miz, who gained experience pitching out of the bullpen in the postseason last year, was sitting among the relievers last night, but ultimately wasn't called upon in the 12-inning affair.

The decision to keep the flame-throwing Misiorowski on the bench as the Rays mounted their 12th-inning rally has sparked a debate -- one that has valid arguments on both sides. On one hand, there's no denying the soon-to-be Cy Young Award winner gave the Brewers a better chance to close out the World Series in Game 4 than the relief duo Murphy ultimately called upon. Asking for three outs from the most dominant pitcher in the sport this year with the World Series on the line when the rest of the bullpen is depleted seems like an easy decision.

However, on the flip side of that argument is the risk of Miz's 12th-inning save going wrong. Say the 24-year-old ace allowed two runs to cross and threw 25 or 30 pitches, now the Brewers have to piece together a Game 5 without Misiorowski and with a taxed bullpen, and the possibility of the Rays extending the series to Game 6 would be far greater than it is now.

It's the type of decision that can linger in the minds of a fanbase for years if it ends up working against the Brewers in the long run, which is why the pressure is on Misiorowski to turn in a dominant performance in tonight's game and end the bullpen narrative once and for all.

With a win and a dominant Misiorowski start in Game 5, Pat Murphy's Game 4 bullpen decisions will be quickly forgotten

The Brewers win tonight behind a strong start from their ace, and this narrative quickly gets put to bed. Plain and simple. In fact, a dominant outing from Misiorowski that helps counteract the overworked nature of the Brewers' bullpen would not only put the critiques of Murphy's Game 4 bullpen decisions to bed, it would go a step farther and vindicate the now-questionable call from Milwaukee's skipper.

The pre-game reservations that Brewers fans may have with that hypothetical stem from the fact that Misiorowski has not looked like his dominant self in the postseason. Yes, he's sporting a 2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched, but he has yet to pitch into the sixth inning in October, and it's clear the reduced ride on his fastball is leading to fewer whiffs. Therefore, Wednesday night's Game 5 start not only serves as a redemption opportunity for Murphy's Game 4 bullpen decisions, but it's also a chance for Miz to make up for what has been, by his lofty standards, a slightly underwhelming postseason performance.

Questions of whether or not the Brewers should have pitched Misiorowski in the 12th inning of Game 4 are valid, and they will last as long as Milwaukee delays the finalization of their World Series title. Misiorowski has a chance to prove his manager right and put an end to those questions with a memorable performance in Game 5 tonight. Should the Brewers close out the World Series tonight, no one will be talking about Murphy's decision not to pitch his ace with three outs standing between his team and a World Series title.

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