Jacob Misiorowski slipped on the mound again during a rough outing at Wrigley Field, matching career worsts with 5 earned runs and 4 walks in 4 innings as the Brewers still found a way to beat the Cubs 9-5. It's the kind of line that would normally get chalked up to a bad night, except this has become a pattern for the 24-year-old righty, and this time he wasn't interested in explaining exactly how he plans to stop it.
Jacob Misiorowski was slipping on a road mound again tonight. He says he and the coaches have some ideas about how to navigate this problem, but decided against broadcasting those solutions publicly. Here’s what he did say. t.co/h5Cn6RAOfB
Misiorowski told reporters he and the Brewers' coaching staff have ideas about how to navigate the problem going forward, but he's keeping the specifics to himself. That's a notable shift in tone from earlier this season, when he was far more candid about mound conditions — back in August he ripped the Angel Stadium mound as "awful" and "rock hard," saying it was one of the worst he'd ever pitched on. This time, with a fix reportedly in the works, he's not tipping his hand to opposing teams.
Jacob Misiorowski has to be careful not to give other teams an advantage by speaking out about slipping on the mound.
The root of the problem, according to Misiorowski himself, is mechanical rather than a conspiracy. His stride is so long that he lands well past where most starting pitchers' front foot hits the dirt — beyond the clay patch grounds crews typically groom and reinforce for starters. That means Misiorowski is regularly landing in softer, less-maintained ground, and in wet or humid conditions like Wednesday night at Wrigley, that turns into exactly the kind of slick footing that can wreck a delivery.
"You start second-guessing everything. You start trying to make pitches too big and start trying to make things too spot-on. You have to calm yourself down and figure out a way to get through it," Misiorowski said, describing the mental toll of pitching through a mound he can't fully trust.
“You start second-guessing everything. You start trying to make pitches too big and start trying to make things too spot-on. You have to calm yourself down and figure out a way to get through it.” The next hurdle for Jacob Misiorowski: The mound. t.co/17Ga8sAwXK
The Brewers have already had to address speculation that other teams might be manipulating mound conditions specifically to throw off their All-Star righty. President of baseball operations Matt Arnold shut that down, saying he doesn't think there's anything nefarious going on and noting simply that mounds vary from park to park and Misiorowski's landing spot makes him "one of one" among pitchers dealing with this exact issue.
None of it has derailed what's shaping up as a huge follow-up to his breakout rookie year, when Misiorowski made the All-Star team just weeks after his June call-up and then delivered in the playoffs. He was named the Brewers' Opening Day starter for 2026, and Wednesday's shaky line was reportedly just the second time all season he's allowed more than 3 earned runs in a start. Whatever fix he and the coaching staff have cooked up, they clearly think it's worth keeping quiet — even if that means fans are left wondering right along with the rest of the league.