Quinn Priester could not have chosen a better game to turn in a seven-inning gem than Friday in Pittsburgh. The Brewers revealed earlier in the afternoon that Nick Mears was headed to the injured list, their fifth reliever currently parked there. Exhausted by 19 games in 18 days and early starter exits, the bullpen badly needs a breather. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? With so many regular names missing, cutting back on reliever workload in general would be a positive development.
Priester allowed just that to happen, at least for one game, by supplying seven innings of two-run ball en route to a pick-me-up 5-2 victory. Coming off bad news and a series loss to the Phillies, punctuated by a shutout, capitalizing on a favorable matchup versus a weak Pirates lineup was important for morale. In his twelfth win this season, Priester allowed six hits and one walk while whiffing half a dozen.
It also set a franchise record as his 11th straight winning decision. His outing was a Milwaukee starter’s longest since August 8, when Brandon Woodruff also went seven. Priester has had his own ups and downs of late, twice failing to make it through five in his last four outings, but he continues to prove himself the rotation’s most reliable arm after the recently historic Freddy Peralta.
Priester spares bullpen at critical lowpoint
On the season, Priester’s four seven-inning starts are the most on the time by far. Peralta went eight once. Woodruff had his seven-inning game. Jose Quintana in his first start of the year. That’s about it. 12-2 with a 3.25 ERA, Priester has done more than just eat innings, of course, but he’s done that too. And as the pitching staff crawls to the finish line, that function is more important than ever.
Friday, the Brewers needed only Jared Koenig and Abner Uribe out of the pen, a combo that retired the Pirates in order. Six up, six down to end the game. Shelby Miller isn’t coming back. Mears will be out for a while. Trevor Megill is on track to return on September 16, but that’s eight games away. Milwaukee is running thin on options; the less Pat Murphy has to dip into the bullpen, the better.
Simply leaving fewer innings up for grabs is the best way to do that. Priester has the formula down. To wrap up the series, the Brewers turn to two pitchers who have struggled to remain in games – Woodruff and Jacob Misiorowski. Though better rested over the past three days, the bullpen will thank them if they can tear a page from Priester’s book, limiting reliever exposure until reinforcements like Megill return.
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