ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy defended his decision not to use his staff ace, Jacob Misiorowski, to close out what could have been a World Series-clinching Game 4 win on Tuesday.
Internet and sports-talk second-guessers were out in full force after Tampa Bay scored two runs off lefty Shane Drohan in that game, beating Milwaukee 4-3 in 12 innings to force Wednesday's Game 5. Righty Antonio Senzatela began the 12th, then gave way to Drohan after Junior Caminero reached on Joey Ortiz's throwing error.
While Misiorowski was sitting in the bullpen during the game, he never moved to stretch or loosen up.
"He was willing, like anybody on our team is willing," Murphy said. "But you have to weigh [the factors]. Senzatela was going back out. He's experienced. He's throwing the ball good. [If] we make that play, there's one out."
Misiorowski, who will start Game 5 for Milwaukee on four days' rest, has started in all 33 of his appearances during the regular season and playoffs. Using him in an unfamiliar role to close out a game on Tuesday would have scrambled the Brewers' pitching plan on Wednesday.
"Miz would have had to get himself ready," Murphy said. "Now, these guys are starters, and they have to get themselves ready. It's not like just pick up the ball from sitting in your chair there and throw. He would have had to get himself ready in a short amount of time, adjust to the mound, all that kind of stuff, get his body ready, and come in.
"Then the ramifications of that -- a walk or a base hit, then the ramifications of that are different. Now somebody different is pitching today."
Misiorowski was one of baseball's most dominant pitchers during the season, going 16-5 while leading the American League with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, so perhaps it's understandable why some pundits wanted to see him with a chance to close out the World Series. In the end, Murphy didn't see the logic with the Brewers holding a commanding 3-0 series lead.
"I can second-guess a lot of things, and believe me I do," Murphy said before noting that it wouldn't have been a topic had the Brewers won. "I usually don't get questions when it goes the other way. And that's part of the job. I get it."