What makes the Brewers' 2026 bullpen so tough to match up against

Among the Milwaukee Brewers' positional groups, it was the bullpen that was the most impressive during the team's NLDS victory over the San Diego Padres. The Brewers' offense did enough to defeat the Padres in four games, but scored just 13 total runs, Milwaukee's rotation was solid, but didn't quite live up to its expectations, and though the Brewers' defense made a few huge plays, they also had their fair share of uncharacteristic errors throughout the series. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's relief corps was downright dominant.

In 19 total innings throughout the four-game series, the Brewers' bullpen allowed just one earned run -- a solo shot from Padres' second baseman Jake Cronenworth off JoJo Romero in Game 3. The combination of DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill, seemingly Pat Murphy's most trusted group of relievers at the moment, covered 15 innings, didn't allow a single earned run, and struck out 11 batters.

Not only is Milwaukee's bullpen, which has emerged as a key roster strength in the postseason, one of the most talented in all of baseball, but favorable matchups that Pat Murphy can create for opposing hitters is heightened by the many different types of pitchers in the Brewers' relief corps.

Each of the Brewers' high-leverage relievers offers a completely different look for opposing lineups

Take, for example, the four pitchers listed above. Megill, the Brewers' All-Star closer, is a high-slot right-hander, meaning his two-pitch arsenal works north and south. His big four-seam fastball rides up in the zone and his knuckle curve, which now acts more like a gyro slider, generates plenty of over-the-top whiffs.

Megill's set-up man, Abner Uribe, is a low-slot righty, utilizing what is referred to as an east-west arsenal that relies on horizontal rather than vertical movement. Uribe's sinker-slider combo is separated by nearly two feet of horizontal movement, making for a difficult at-bat for both righties and lefties.

Then there's Ashby, a high-slot lefty. With a 54-degree average arm angle, Ashby unsurprisingly generates a great deal of depth on his nasty curveball. While he doesn't rely on a four-seam fastball, as his arm slot would suggest, Ashby's sinker averages nearly 98 mph, which allows him to get away with average movement on the fastball.

DL Hall, meanwhile, has a lower-slot than his fellow southpaw Ashby, creating another unique look for opposing lineups to handle. Hall throws everything, but his best pitches, unsurprisingly given his lower arm slot, are the ones that generate horizontal movement -- his sinker, slider, and sweeper.

Add JoJo Romero, who the Brewers acquired at the trade deadline, to the mix, and the Brewers have another unique look in their relief corps. Romero is a true low-slot lefty, with a 29-degree arm angle to prove it, and, as a result, has a lethal sinker-slider combo that generates a ton of groundballs.

Five arms, five unique arm angles, and therefore five different looks that opposing hitters have to account for. It's not just the differentiation that makes this assembly of relievers so dominant -- it certainly helps that Ashby, Uribe, and Megill can all touch triple digits with their fastball and generate excellent movement with their secondary pitches. However, asking opponents to account for many different looks undoubtedly makes their lives more difficult and makes it easier for Murphy and the Brewers to create favorable matchups late in games.

Is this emphasis on different arm angles intentional? Not necessarily, but it's a welcome side effect of Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office's roster construction strategy.

Said Arnold when asked about whether finding different arm slots is a priority for him when constructing a bullpen, "It's a factor. You want the best guys out there, and they come in different forms. If you're seeing a different look, it's probably unique for the opposing hitter...But talent over all those things, all things equal."

Whether or not it was intentional, the bullpen that the Brewers are rolling with in their quest for their first World Series Title in franchise history is a nightmare for opposing managers. Murphy essentially has an arm slot for any situation, and just when the opposing lineup gets comfortable with one, he throws an entirely different look at them. That differentiation is especially important in the final innings, when opposing lineups are asked to handle Ashby, Uribe, and Megill, all of whom are very different pitchers, in consecutive innings to close out the game.

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