Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is facing a tough early-season decision as closer Trevor Megill battles through a rough start. After Megill surrendered three runs in the ninth inning of a 9-7, 10-inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays—prompting boos from the home crowd—Murphy acknowledged he may need to explore other closing options, at least temporarily.

The outing left Megill with a staggering 14.40 ERA, a stark contrast to his All-Star form from a year ago. "I’m definitely way better than that," Megill said, pointing to his pitch execution and overall performance. Manager Murphy, however, was quick to defend his reliever, criticizing the fan reaction. "These aren’t machines out there," Murphy stated. "These are people. I thought that was in poor taste."

Murphy emphasized Megill's crucial contributions last season, including a key save in the NL Division Series clincher against the Cubs. "Did the guy save 30 games for us last year? I think he did," Murphy said, his heart bleeding for the struggling right-hander. The numbers tell a concerning story: Megill has already allowed eight earned runs through five innings this year; last season, he didn't surrender his eighth earned run until mid-June.

The latest collapse began when Megill entered with a 4-3 lead. He promptly walked Eloy Jiménez, gave up a ground-rule double to Davis Schneider, and later allowed RBI singles to Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement. This bullpen stumble extended the Brewers' losing streak to six games, their longest since 2023, wasting a gritty 5 1/3-inning effort from an ill Jacob Misiorowski.

While Murphy is leaving the door open for a potential change, he also stressed the need for perspective and support as the team works to get its key late-inning arm back on track. For now, the Brewers' ninth-inning situation remains a pressing question as they look to halt their skid.