Quinn Priester has already made his share of history in a Milwaukee Brewers jersey. He was on the cusp of taking his magic ride one step further Friday night against the Reds, but the offense failed to muster any support, either for Priester or the relievers that followed. The 3-1 loss ended at 19 the Brewers’ incredible win streak with Priester on the mound. He goes into the record books having matched Carl Hubbell’s 19-gamer with the Giants (1936) and a game shy of matching Roger Clemens’ Yankees run in 2001.
Priester’s streak is no more, but confidence lives on for Brewers fans
Priester had his final line ruined by three straight hits to start the sixth inning: double, single, infield single. Nick Mears came in to strand those inherited runners on base, preventing Priester’s box score from getting any worse, but it was a disappointing finish after five solid innings.
In the end, Priester was charged with three runs on nine hits. It was only his third loss of the season, dropping his record to 13-3. For all the winning the Brewers have done behind him, he factored into the decision only 12 times during the streak. Luck is involved, of course, but it’s also a testament to Priester keeping Milwaukee in the game even when left with the score tied or trailing.
Obviously, he has given them worlds more than expected when they acquired him from the Red Sox in early April. Having made his final start, the third-year right-hander wraps up the season with a 3.32 ERA in 157.1 innings. Priester got by with an unremarkable 7.6 strikeouts per nine, but his true knack is getting ground balls and limiting damage, as evidenced by a 0.8 flyball to grounder ratio. Indeed, his 55.7 groundball percentage ranks in the 94th percentile.
More than merely holding down the fort, Priester has been the rotation’s most reliable pitcher behind Freddy Peralta. He is arguably Milwaukee’s closest thing to a workhorse, leading the team with four seven-inning starts. Only four times this season in 29 appearances did he allow four or more runs. The three he surrendered to the Reds broke Priester’s six-game stretch of two or fewer allowed.
Relying primarily on a mix of sinkerballs, cutters, and sliders, he isn’t a typical hard-throwing ace, but he has dominated nonetheless. It took him a few outings to gain his footing post-trade, but after his first five, he has pitched to a 2.89 ERA in 134 IP. It all adds up to a 2.9 WAR that ranks second among Milwaukee pitchers.
Entering the postseason with Brandon Woodruff hurt, Priester is clearly the Brewers’ No. 2 option after Peralta. It might be hard to understand for opposing fans – this guy doesn’t even average 94 MPH on his fastball! – but just seeing Priester on the hill puts Brewers faithful at ease. In the NLDS, they’ll look for him to embark on a new streak against either the Cubs or Padres.
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