Pat Murphy's Game 2 starter caveat shouldn't come as a surprise to Brewers fans

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to begin their 2026 postseason run on Saturday, October 3 at American Family Field. While the Brewers don't yet know who they will be playing or at what time Game 1 will start, they do know who their starting pitcher will be in their postseason opener. Unsurprisingly, National League Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 1 for the Brewers, as confirmed by manager Pat Murphy this afternoon.

Presumably, rookie right-hander Logan Henderson, who emerged as Milwaukee's No. 2 starter during the second half of the season, will get the ball in Game 2. However, according to a report from Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that decision is not yet confirmed.

As noted by Hogg, Henderson is on schedule to pitch Game 2, which will take place on Sunday, October 4, but that decision is "subject to change," according to Murphy. Though that caveat may come as a surprise, especially because Henderson is the Brewers' clear-cut second-best starting pitcher heading into the postseason, creative playoff pitching strategy is nothing new for Murphy and his coaching staff. Additionally, the Brewers' manager seldom reveals his pitching plan if he doesn't need to. Therefore, today's declaration that starting Henderson in Game 2 is "subject to change" shouldn't be entirely surprising for Brewers fans.

Pat Murphy's past postseason pitching strategy suggests Game 2 starter situation could get creative

The most likely scenario is that Henderson starts Game 2; that much was made clear in Hogg's report above. However, it's important to note that last year, most Brewers fans expected Quinn Priester to start Game 2 of their NLDS matchup with the Chicago Cubs, but ended up starting Game 3 instead. It was a bit of gamesmanship on Murphy's part; Priester warmed up in the Brewers' bullpen at one point, and Craig Counsell and the Cubs were prepared to face the right-hander before Murphy instead turned to Misiorowski as the bulk pitcher in Game 2.

While unlikely, the Brewers could enact a similar strategy this year. The choice for who would serve as the bulk pitcher in Game 2 instead of Henderson is by no means obvious, but few Brewers fans expected Murphy to use Misiorowski the way he did in Game 2 a season ago. That said, the situation is slightly different. Priester was battling a late-season injury last year, and his effectiveness was slipping as the postseason began, which could have contributed to Murphy delaying his first playoff start to Game 3, when the Brewers had already built up a 2-0 lead in the series. Henderson, meanwhile, has been consistently strong throughout the second half of the season, and turned in a 1.93 ERA during his final seven starts of the campaign.

In saying that the Game 2 starter is "subject to change," Murphy could also be referring to the possible use of an opener. In the postseason last year, the Brewers used Aaron Ashby as an opener on three separate occasions, including in Game 2. If the Brewers face the Cubs in the NLDS, it wouldn't be a shock to see them use a left-handed opener in an effort to neutralize expected NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong. Since the Brewers won't know who they are facing in the NLDS until tomorrow night at the earliest, it's understandable why Murphy isn't yet ready to fully commit to Henderson in Game 2.

Misiorowski will throw Game 1 one way or another -- that is the luxury of having the best pitcher in baseball. More than likely, Henderson will follow him as the starter in Game 2, but Murphy's history of creative postseason pitching decisions and Milwaukee not yet knowing their NLDS opponent makes it unsurprising that the Brewers' skipper isn't ready to fully commit to the rookie right-hander just yet.

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