The Milwaukee Brewers could clinch their third straight National League Central title on Sunday afternoon when they play the decisive contest of their three-game series against the host St. Louis Cardinals.
The Brewers (95-60) cut their magic number to one Saturday with the combination of their 3-2 victory in 10 innings over the Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs’ 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Despite suffering injuries and roster churn due to payroll constraints, Milwaukee has remained one of baseball’s most successful teams.
“I call ‘em cliffhangers,” manager Pat Murphy told MLB Network. “We have a bunch of guys who have to check if their name plate is still up on their locker every day.”
Due to pitching injuries, the Brewers are expected to deploy a bullpen game on Sunday after moving Chad Patrick back into the rotation Saturday.
The Brewers recalled pitcher Bruce Zimmermann from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday and designated Joel Payamps for assignment.
Milwaukee’s starting pitching scenario became even more muddled when Jacob Misiorowski had another rough outing Friday, giving up two runs over 3 2/3 innings to raise his ERA 4.38. The Brewers are contemplating having the rookie move forward in the regular season and postseason as a reliever.
“He’s closed in Triple-A, so he’s familiar,” pitching coach Chris Hook told MLB.com. “Has he done it here? No. Will there be an opportunity for him to do that in the next nine days? I don’t know. We’re going to see. There may be a spot to do that to make sure he’s acclimated, and that gives us some flexibility whichever way we need to go.”
Milwaukee’s William Contreras is questionable after exiting Saturday’s game in eighth inning with a hand injury sustained on a catcher’s interference incident.
Murphy said Contreras’ X-rays came back negative.
The Cardinals (75-80) on Sunday will start left-hander Matthew Liberatore (7-12, 4.30 ERA), who has regained velocity during the final weeks of the season after pushing through fatigue during his first full season as a starter.
Liberatore allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over six innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday in his most recent outing. He struck out six and walked one in a no-decision in St. Louis 11-6 loss.
“I was fighting to back out for the seventh there,” Liberatore said. “I think to feel that way that deep into the game is definitely positive.”
Liberatore has pitched 146 2/3 innings this season after splitting time between the rotation and bullpen during his first three big league campaigns.
“We’re reaching the mark where I’ve starting more innings than at any level in my life,” he said. “To be feeling this way and trending in this direction this late in the year is definitely a good thing.
“There has been lot of tinkering in the second half, a lot of learning. Unfortunately, a lot of it is trial and error. You can’t know it until you try and go through it and see what kind of return you get. But I think we’ve kind of found the sweet spot with the workload in between starts.”
Liberatore earned a 3-2 victory over the Brewers in his previous start against them on April 25. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in six innings while striking out four and walking one.
Liberatore is 3-0 with a 1.14 ERA in 10 career appearances (three starts) against Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
