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Murphy’s law: How the Brewers’ bullpen outlasted the Padres

The Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen turned a series-defining performance into an art form during the NLDS, proving that Murphy’s management philosophy can be as unpredictable as the law it’s named after. After two August losses at Petco Park were partly attributed to premature bullpen calls—Logan Henderson’s exit in the seventh inning of a 3-2 defeat and Dustin May’s overuse in an 11th-inning collapse—manager Pat Murphy adopted a calculated approach in the postseason.

This time, he kept his starters on a tight leash, relying on a deep, effective bullpen to close out games. Jacob Misiorowski lasted just four innings in Game 1, but the Brewers’ relievers stifled the Padres over five scoreless frames.

In Game 2, Henderson went five innings, while the bullpen allowed only one unearned run. Even in Game 3, where May exited after three innings, the only earned run came on a solo homer by JoJo Romero.

By Game 4, Murphy pulled Robert Gasser after four frames, and his relievers held the Padres hitless over the final five innings. Across the series, Brewers relievers threw 19 innings—more than the starters’ 16—and allowed just one earned run, posting a 0.47 ERA.

Murphy’s strategy wasn’t just about leverage; he deployed lower-leverage options like Antonio Senzatela and Aaron Ashby when needed, trusting his bullpen to cover gaps without overburdening his rotation.

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