Chad Patrick held a 2-1 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth against the Cubs on Tuesday night, but the Milwaukee Brewers rookie could not hold down Chicago’s powerful offense any longer. Seiya Suzuki’s three-run bomb proved the difference in the game as the Cubs held on for a 5-3 win, dropping the Brewers to 39-35. Although it was not a horrendous start for Patrick – indeed, one pitch to Suzuki reshaped his final line – it is his second tough outing in a row. On the fringes of the National League Rookie of the Year chase, he is falling further from the front of the pack.
Milwaukee Brewers Rookie Patrick in Danger of Fading from Award Race
To his credit, Patrick finished out the fifth inning, allowing four earned runs on six hits, a pair of walks, and five strikeouts. He left the game having thrown 74 pitches, 51 for strikes. With the loss, he falls to 3-7 on the season.
On the heels of a poor start against the Braves, though, another five-inning affair in which he surrendered five runs and two long balls, his outing Tuesday ballooned his ERA to 3.50. Before his last two starts, it hovered at a cool 2.84.
On the whole, the 26-year-old righty has had an unexpectedly polished rookie season, posting a solid 2.9 K/BB ratio in 79.2 innings.
Awards races change fast, though, and Patrick has already been passed by a Brewers teammate in ROY odds – young fireballer Jacob Misiorowski. His debut – five innings, no hits, no runs – was enough to plunge his odds to below +1000. He is scheduled to make his second start versus the Cubs on Wednesday.
Receding from the Race But Still a Cog in the Brewers Rotation
Patrick’s odds, meanwhile, have climbed as high as +1300 (around 7% implied probability). Braves catcher Drake Baldwin remains the strong favorite. Misiorowski sits fourth in the consensus market.
Of course, while the Brewers would love for one of them to win, they aren’t concerned with who takes home the hardware. Instead, Milwaukee is focused on optimizing a starting rotation that is finally self-assembling in spite of persistent injury. Patrick and Misiorowski make part of a group led by Freddy Peralta, lurking himself on the edges of the pre-season Cy Young market, and reinforced by Jose Quintana and Quinn Priester.
In addition, Nestor Cortes is expected back after the All-Star break; Brandon Woodruff is persevering through rehab as he attempts to retake the mound for the first time in two years.
In a potentially crowded rotation, Patrick can’t afford to fall off his horse without risking demotion. Yes, with no major-league track record he is still something of an unknown, but two rough starts is a bit early – wayyy early – to panic. He’ll have another chance on the bump Sunday against the Twins as the Brewers wrap up their road trip.
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