Jacob Misiorowski Faces the Pirates and the Brewers Are Running Out of Time to Stop the Bleeding

The Milwaukee Brewers are limping into Saturday night's matchup against Pittsburgh, and they know it. After dropping three straight, they're sending Jacob Misiorowski to the mound to try to salvage the series, but the Pirates just shut them out 6-0 in Friday's opener. That's the kind of loss that stings, especially when you're already dealing with a decimated lineup.

Misiorowski Has the Stuff, But Can the Brewers Score?

Misiorowski is a strikeout machine this season. He's racked up 42 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings, and batters are hitting just .177 against him. That's elite. In his last outing against Miami on Sunday, he struck out nine in five innings, even though he took the loss in a 5-3 defeat. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks.

The real advantage? Misiorowski owns the Pirates. He's 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two career starts against them, allowing just one run across 12 innings with 16 strikeouts. That's the kind of track record you want when you're desperate.

He'll face right-hander Mitch Keller, who comes in at 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA.

Milwaukee's Offense Is a Ghost

Here's the problem: even if Misiorowski is brilliant, the Brewers need to score runs. And right now, they can't. Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, and Christian Yelich are all out injured, and it shows. Milwaukee has managed just one homer in their last nine games. One. That's brutal.

Manager Pat Murphy didn't hold back after Friday's loss. "The two guys were really, really top notch, especially when you've got a decimated lineup," Murphy said. "We've got three of our top hitters out. You take three hitters out of any lineup and face those guys, it'll be tough."

The Brewers dropped 5-4 to Detroit on Thursday before facing Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, Friday. Skenes took a perfect game into the seventh inning before allowing a two-out single to Jake Bauers. Konnor Griffin, who just turned 20, went off with his first career homer, two singles, and three RBIs to power Pittsburgh's 6-0 win and snap an eight-game losing streak to Milwaukee.

The NL Central Is No Joke Right Now

This is Milwaukee's first divisional matchup of the season, and every team in the NL Central is above .500. The Pirates haven't lost back-to-back games since the season opener. Pirates manager Don Kelly emphasized the point after Friday's win: "The division is strong. Teams are playing really well, and again, we have to continue to do what we do."

Saturday night is must-win territory for the Brewers. They need Misiorowski to deliver, and they need their lineup to wake up. Without it, this skid gets worse.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.