Kyle Harrison's Blowup vs. Pirates Had 1 Silver Lining for Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers hurler showed some promise, despite a tough overall outing on Thursday.

Sep 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers turned to Kyle Harrison on Thursday in one of his biggest tests of the 2026 season. While it didn't go perfectly, to say the least, there was a positive takeaway.

Harrison looked like a star for the vast majority of the 2026 season, but things changed on Aug. 31. That day, the young lefty allowed nine runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs. Since then, he has been really struggling. He gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings on Sep. 6 and then another four runs without recording a run out of the bullpen on Sep. 12. On Thursday, the Brewers re-inserted Harrison into the rotation and he allowed four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. Obviously that's not great. But, on the bright side, his velocity looked better on Thursday than it has recently.

His fastball averaged 95.3 miles per hour and topped out at 96.8 MPH. In comparison, on Aug. 31, his fastball sat at 93.4 MPH with a maximum velocity of 95.6 MPH. On Sep. 6, his fastball had an average velocity of 94.0 MPH with a maximum of 95.2 MPH. His metrics on Thursday were closer to his numbers from earlier in the season. For example, on May 20, Harrison tossed seven shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs and allowed just two base hits. That day, his fastball sat at 95.5 MPH with a maximum velocity of 97.6 MPH. Not exactly the same, but much closer than what he has been doing recently.

Thursday's Outing Wasn't All Bad

Sep 6, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, of course, there's more to the game than just velocity. But the fact that Harrison's came back a bit is hopeful. There's obviously more work that needs to be done. Harrison was wild on Thursday. He tossed 50 pitches and just 29 were for strikes. These are big league hitters we're talking about here. If you cannot get strike one, you're done. On Thursday, Harrison's velocity was there, but his command was not.

There isn't much time left in the regular season to get back on track. But hopefully, there will be at least one more outing before it wraps up. Thursday's outing wasn't what he likely wanted. But it also wasn't all bad, like his previous three appearances. When he's at his best, he showed that he can be among the best in the National League. That's why the Brewers need to keep trying things to get him back on track. The velocity was there on Thursday, not the Brewers need to get his command back.