Brewers closer Trevor Megill made his long awaited return in the season finale against the Reds, his first appearance since hitting the injured list in late August with an elbow flexor strain. Getting back wasn’t easy. Megill did not progress as hoped and his status for the postseason seemed increasingly unclear before positive updates came last week.
While it seems Megill should be available for the playoffs, whether he will regain his status as default closer is now uncertain. During his absence, setup man Abner Uribe stepped into the void and was lights out. To avoid disrupting his groove, the Brewers may choose to keep Uribe for the ninth. Or, if Megill shows himself ready, delegate closer duties between both the two to maximize matchup advantages.
For his part, Megill doesn’t care how he’s used so long as he can contribute to a Brewers World Series run.
Megill is focused on helping Brewers however he can
Finally feeling right, he declared last week that he would take the mound by Sunday. He got his wish in the fourth inning as the Brewers cycled through a bevy of pitchers to get everyone some work. Megill needed only 12 pitches to set the Reds down in order, pouring in called third strikes to the last two hitters.
“That was just huge, being in a game, just feeling what it feels like to be out there,” he said of getting some reps in before the playoffs. The Brewers will host the winner of Padres-Cubs in the Wild Card Round to kick off the NLDS on October 4.
“I’m ready to go. Wherever they want to plug-and-play me throughout the postseason, I’m ready for. Just see how they want to run it.”
Megill’s role wasn’t supposed to be a question, but his longer-than-expected layoff and Uribe’s dazzling job in his absence have made it one. With Megill sidelined, Uribe allowed just two earned runs in 13 innings, converting all five of his save chances. He struck out 13, walked 3, and gave up just 8 hits.
Uribe finished the year with a 1.67 ERA in 75.1 IP, with a whiff rate of 10.8 per nine and a .539 OPS against. He was without much contest the Brewers’ most dominant reliever this season.
Megill, of course, was none too shabby himself, pitching to a 2.49 ERA and 11.5 K/9 rate. He saved 30 games and was on pace to challenge John Axford’s franchise-record 46 before Megill injured his elbow.
The main question now is whether one outing was enough for Megill to get back up to closer-ready speed. “Don’t really matter to me,” he said of his role moving forward. “Just trying to win some freaking games and get to the World Series and win it. Whatever I can do to help there.”
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