Brewers Could Take Interesting Approach With Playoff Rotation

It's practically a guarantee that Misiorowski and Henderson will be Milwaukee's top two starting pitchers for the postseason, but the third spot is far more questionable than expected. Kyle Harrison was one option earlier in the season, but after a rough patch highlighted by a velocity dip, the 25-year-old's role could shift to the bullpen.

Milwaukee was in a similar situation heading into the playoffs last year, and though the team has options, the likeliest decision is to use openers and bulk pitchers in games when Misiorowski or Henderson do not pitch.

"The Brewers have lined up Misiorowski and Henderson back to back in the rotation for quite some time, establishing the club’s two clear candidates to start Games 1 and 2 should Milwaukee earn the first-round bye it is chasing and advance directly to the best-of-five National League Division Series," MLB.com's Zach Sweet wrote on Monday. "But there is no obvious Game 3 starter behind them. And maybe there doesn’t need to be.

"But Milwaukee’s history suggests labels will matter much less than matchups. Gasser could follow an opener. Dustin May could provide length. Chad Patrick and DL Hall can cover multiple innings. Antonio Senzatela offers another option. The goal is less about identifying traditional postseason starters and more about determining which 11 or 12 pitchers Murphy trusts to record the 27 outs necessary each night."

The Brewers should not be hung up on who to start behind Misiorowski and Henderson for the playoffs, especially as their pitching staff boasts a 3.57 ERA, the second-best in the league. There's still plenty of time between now and then for Milwaukee to solidify its decisions, but unless some players make a big jump, it would make far more sense to stray from the traditional postseason starters rotation.