Ranking the Brewers' best candidates to start game three of a postseason series

The Milwaukee Brewers are postseason bound, and more importantly NLDS bound, as for the first time in the expanded playoff era, the Brew Crew will bypass the best-of-three Wild Cards series and go directly to the best-of-five divisional series.

Game three is often a pivotal point in any playoff series. In the Wild Card Series, it’s a win-or-go-home showdown. In the Championship series and World Series, it can give one team an early edge, and in the Division series, it can either serve as the clincher or an all-important mid-series swing.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, they’ve dropped each of their last two game three appearances. In 2021, Freddy Peralta delivered four shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves, but the bats went silent. Last year, Tobias Myers pitched five scoreless frames, yet the Brewers again fell, this time in dramatic fashion to the New York Mets.

Opposing Myers in last year’s Wild Card series finale was José Quintana, who, depending on Brandon Woodruff’s health and Quintana himself's health as he is on the mend from a calf strain, could be the team’s best option for a crucial game three in the NLDS. Let’s take a closer look at the other potential candidates, assuming Woodruff, who would otherwise start game three without question, is not yet ready to pitch.

Ranking the Milwaukee Brewers best candidates to start game three of a postseason series

1) LHP José Quintana

If Woodruff is unavailable for the NLDS and Quinn Priester starts game two as a result, Quintana should be Pat Murphy’s choice for game three. Of the remaining options, Quintana brings the most postseason experience, owning a career 3.55 ERA over 33.0 playoff innings, including six shutout frames against the Brewers just last year. Of his seven starts in the postseason, four have resulted in 5.0+ innings pitched where he didn't allow an earned run, and two of those occurrences came in last year's playoffs.

2) RHP Chad Patrick

Rookie Chad Patrick played a key role in the Brewers’ rotation earlier this season and was, at one point, a legitimate Rookie of the Year contender. Since July, he’s bounced between the majors and minors and has recently been working out of the bullpen. Still, with a 3.56 ERA on the year, and a history of being a viable option, he easily could start game three. However, he'd likely be on a short leash, with a piggyback approach potentially in play depending on how the early innings unfold.

3) RHP Erick Fedde

Erick Fedde was a late August addition to the Brewers, which importantly makes him eligible for the postseason roster. Milwaukee has kept him stretched out since being acquired, throwing bulk innings both as a starter and reliever. He's been good since coming over, posting a 3.14 ERA over seven outings, and he could be rewarded with a memorable postseason start.

4) RHP Jacob Misiorowski

Pat Murphy has been clear that Jacob Misiorowski isn’t expected to start in the postseason, but that doesn’t completely take him out of the mix as a short-leash starter or opener. Deploying Misiorowski’s triple-digit fastball for an inning or two, followed by a pitcher of the opposite hand like DL Hall or Aaron Ashby, could throw off an opponent’s lineup and neutralize platoon advantages. It’s a creative strategy to keep a splits-heavy batting order off balance. Additionally, using Misiorowski in game three would allow the Brewers to preserve Quintana for a potential game four, where his veteran presence could prove invaluable in an even higher-stakes situation.

5) RHP Tobias Myers

Although Tobias Myers has made just six starts for Milwaukee this season, his overall track record still makes him a name worth considering for game three. However, he hasn’t pitched more than two innings in an outing since August 9, suggesting a bullpen-style game is more likely. In that scenario, the Brewers could again turn to Ashby or Hall, both of whom have thrived coming out of the pen this year.

Ultimately, there are plenty of factors for the Brewers to weigh when it comes to a potential game three starter. Matchups, health, and bullpen flexibility all come into play. What matters most, though, is that the Brewers find a way to reverse their recent game three fortunes, which could go a long ways in helping the team secure their first postseason series victory since 2018.