Jose Quintana’s meltdown raises Brewers’ playoff urgency

After the game, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy shared a clip on X (formerly Twitter) that showed Quintana candidly owning up to one of his roughest outings in recent memory.

“It was terrible,” Quintana remarked.

The Brewers continue to sit comfortably atop the NL Central, but Thursday’s defeat showed that even trusted veterans can stumble. José Quintana entered with a 10-4 record and a 3.69 ERA, yet he managed just 3 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on five hits while issuing multiple walks and hitting a batter with the bases loaded. His command faltered from the start and created a hole the Brewers’ late rally could not climb out of.

Jose Quintana and the Brewers

The 36-year-old lefty admitted he struggled to locate his pitches, especially the changeup, and leaned heavily on his sinker with little success. “I wasn’t good today,” he said. “I couldn’t hit the zone consistently.”

His rough start put Milwaukee in an early hole that both the rotation and bullpen had to cover, and while the Brewers mounted a push behind Sal Frelick’s leadoff homer and Isaac Collins’ two-RBI single, the comeback ultimately fell short.

The Diamondbacks found plenty to build on in their matchup with the Brewers. Nabil Crismatt limited Milwaukee to two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, and Taylor Rashi sealed the win in his MLB debut, closing out the ninth by retiring key bats, including Christian Yelich with runners aboard.

“We’re still in a good position,” Quintana continued. “We just have to keep fighting,” the veteran went on to add.

Even with the loss, the Brewers keep a strong grip on the NL Central at 83-52, sitting 6.5 games ahead of the Cubs. Their recent 4-6 slide, though, points to wavering consistency. Quintana’s rough start might be an outlier, but it drives home the urgency for Milwaukee’s rotation to stay steady with October fast approaching.

The Diamondbacks and Brewers split their series, but each team walked away in a very different spot in the playoff race. The Brewers continue to command the NL Central, while Arizona, now 66-69, trails by 7 games in the Wild Card chase and faces a steep climb to stay alive.

With October fast approaching, the spotlight shifts to Quintana and the Brewers’ rotation to see if they can rebound and preserve Milwaukee’s push. The team now heads into a road series against the Toronto Blue Jays, who share the American League’s best record with the Detroit Tigers.