Brewers Learned Valuable Jacob Misiorowski Lesson in Second Start of Season

An outing like that has to give Milwaukee confidence

Apr 1, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Wednesday afternoon was not Jacob Misiorowski's best performance by any means. In a way, that was almost more encouraging than if it had been.

Misiorowski took the mound in the Brewers' series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, and his afternoon was workmanlike. He didn't dominate the Rays, but he pitched more than well enough to win the game, and that's what Milwaukee wound up doing after a runaway six-run eighth inning.

For a six-inning, two-earned-run performance, Misiorowski showed quite a bit of mettle, and that has to feel good for the Brewers as they look for the 24-year-old to carry more of the rotation load than he did in year one.

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Misiorowski's strong afternoon, broken down

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski pitches against Chicago White Sox shortstop Chase Meidroth during the first inning of the Opening Day game against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Misiorowski came out of the gates firing, striking out four batters in his first two innings. But he ran into trouble in the third inning, allowing two runs on a hit batsman and a Yandy Díaz home run, and for a lot of pitchers, an inning like that can be the difference between a bad day and a solid one.

At the end of that tiresome third inning, Misiorowski was at 58 pitches already, and it seemed like he was heading for a stereotypical "five and dive" outing that might strain Milwaukee's excellent bullpen a bit. Instead, he locked in from there and showed the Brewers that he's not just a pure power pitcher if he needs to eat some innings.

In the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, Misiorowski struck out only one batter, but that enabled him to get through those three frames in just 36 pitches. The Brewers handed the game off from there to some of their reliable high-leverage relievers.

Aaron Ashby got the win as the Brewers pulled away in the bottom of the eighth. But Misiorowski deserves credit for keeping his team in prime position to pick up the W, and he announced to the baseball world that he's more than just the fireballing power pitcher they saw in a half-season debut last year.