MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski says he wants to play in the All-Star Game but understands why that’s unlikely to happen.
The Brewers are currently planning to have Misiorowski start Tuesday at St. Louis and again on July 12 at Pittsburgh, which is the last day before the All-Star break. Pitchers with starting assignments on that Sunday before the break are ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game two nights later, even if they’re selected for the team.
“I get it,” Misiorowski said after the Brewers’ 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. “I get we’re not looking for right now. We’re looking for September, October. It sucks — obviously I want to throw in a game like that — but so be it.”
Getting some extra rest during the All-Star break could help Misiorowski, who already has thrown 104 innings with his first full major league season just past the midway point. Misiorowski threw a combined 141 1/3 innings throughout last year, including his work in the minors, the majors and the postseason.
The 24-year-old flamethrower said it helps that he already got some All-Star Game experience last year, when he pitched one scoreless inning.
“It makes it a little easier,” Misiorowski said. “It makes it a little cooler. You get to be one of the guys, the veterans you were there with last year who kind of got to be in the background and watch it, so it’s fun.”
Misiorowski’s All-Star Game selection last year drew criticism from some players because it came after he had made just five starts in the majors. There’s no question the hard-throwing right-hander merits a spot on the roster this year, even if he’s unavailable to pitch in the actual game.
Misiorowski (9-4) leads the majors in ERA (1.47) and strikeouts (156). His 105.5-mph fastball Friday against the Chicago Cubs matched the third-fastest pitch since tracking began in 2008.
Over his last 11 starts, Misiorowski has gone 8-2 with an 0.63 ERA. During those 11 starts, Misiorowski has struck out 105 while walking 14 and opponents have hit just .128 against him.
He allowed five runs to match a career high on Thursday while losing a head-to-head matchup with Cincinnati’s Chase Burns — another likely All-Star – but only one of those runs was earned.
Misiorowski struck out 10 and walked none in that five-inning stint. He said afterward he regretted only one pitch — when he spun a 3-2 cutter that Jose Trevino sent over the left-field wall for a three-run homer with two outs in the fourth inning.
“I thought he did great,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “It was real muggy out there. Every time Miz goes on the field now, you know what I mean, everybody’s expecting like there’s no way he can give up runs.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
