Covering the bases 9/19/2025: Cardinals 7, Brewers 1

While you never want it to happen during a finishing push before the playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers put up a stinker in a 7-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday at Busch Stadium. Still, the Brewers, with MLB's best record at 94-60, saw their magic number for clinching the NL Central drop to three as the second-place Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds 7-4. The Brewers entered the day three games ahead of the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies in the battle for the No. 1 seed in the NL playoffs. The Brewers have eight games left in the regular season.

FIRST BASE: Bauers stays hot

Jake Bauers has taken over as the Brewers' starting first baseman when it was thought that he might be option No. 3 when Rhys Hoskins returned from the injured list. Andrew Vaughn had been the primary first baseman while Hoskins was out, but something clicked with Bauers in the days before Hoskins returned and manager Pat Murphy has ridden with Bauers. Bauers went 3-for-3 with a walk, but his effort went for naught as he didn't score or drive in a run.

SECOND BASE: Frelick's shot

With an outside chance at getting to .300 this season, Brewers leadoff hitter Sal Frelick flexed his muscles and hit a home run to begin the top of the third inning. He pulled an 0-1 pitch down the right-field line for a no-doubter, his 12th homer of the season. The power part of Frelick's game has been a nice surprise. Frelick had a combined five homers in his first two MLB seasons.

THIRD BASE: Surrendering the fifth

Things got out of control in the fifth inning as usually reliable Brewers left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny gave up three straight singles to open the inning before being replaced by right-hander Grant Anderson. He promptly yielded doubles to two of the next three hitters and then back-to-back two-out singles as the Cardinals seized control, scoring five runs and going up 7-1. Combined, Zastryzny and Anderson gave up seven hits in the fifth.

HOME PLATE: Messy Misiorowski

With one exception, there has been something different about the last seven starts for Brewers rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski. And not in a good way. Misiorowski threw just 45 strikes in 77 pitches, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 3⅔ innings. It marked the second-fewest strikeouts in any of Misiorowski's 14 career starts, also done one other time. The erratic performance certainly raises the question of whether Misiorowski will make the Brewers' postseason roster as he most likely would be in a relief role, a situation that can't afford quick blowups.

EXTRA BASES: Patrick's pitch

⚾ As the Brewers still formulate their pitching plan for the postseason, right-hander Chad Patrick has joined the rotation in place of the injured Jose Quintana. Patrick (3-8, 3.84 ERA) will square off against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (8-10, 4.80 ERA). Patrick made his third relief appearance of the season Tuesday in a 9-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. In what could be a preview of his postseason role, Patrick struck out all three batters he faced. Mikolas is facing the Brewers for the second consecutive time, having earned the decision in the Cardinals 3-2 win Sunday. He allowed two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out five in five innings.