Pat Murphy’s patience lasted for exactly one more start. The Milwaukee Brewers manager did not hold back his anger after his team suffered an ugly 9-2 blowout loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday. Brandon Sproat, in his rookie season, surrendered five runs from six hits in 4.1 innings. The young arm who was supposed to be the future of the team’s rotation is now fighting to keep his job.

The Brewers preached patience when they traded Brandon Sproat in exchange for Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets this offseason. Pat Murphy asked for more time as Sproat struggled on the mound. However, after Saturday’s disastrous showing, Murphy’s tone changed completely.

“I think he took a step back. I don’t think he was very good. We’re not going to tolerate too many duds like this, that’s for sure,” Foul Territory quoted Murphy.

Saturday was rough for Sproat.

In his 4.1 innings, he could strike out only four. He gave up two home runs, including a costly two-run shot to Jeremy Peña. Although defensive missteps behind Sproat and challenging calls compounded the damage, leading to three runs for Houston in the fifth inning alone, Sproat’s lack of command was evident.

The Astros eventually won the game 9-2.

The only good thing about his outing was not allowing any walks in his 95-pitch outing.

“Really, the only positive today was no walks. That’s a positive. Right now it’s tough. I’ve got to be better,” Sproat noted after the game, but as the result kept the Brewers just 2 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs despite leading the division, Murphy looked frustrated.

The Brewers lead the Cubs by just 3 games. And rotation stability is critical to holding the division lead.

After Saturday, Sproat’s ERA got ballooned to 6.24 and a 1-4 record.

Since Sproat landed with the Brewers, Murphy has always defended him. Sproat blew up his previous start against the Los Angeles Dodgers as well, surrendering three ERs from his four innings.

“He’s had a couple of rough outings, but in no way, shape, or form do I think we’re considering getting him out of [the rotation]. This guy’s got a chance to be a high-end starter, and he’s a rookie, so rookies are going to go through that,” Murphy talked about Sproat back then.

Sproat is still officially a rookie. He debuted last September but pitched just 20.2 innings. That kept him well under the MLB’s 50-inning cutoff.

But with no signs of improvement, the Brewers manager has had enough. Now, Murphy has yet to decide about Sproat’s future.

“He’s done some really, really good stuff, so it’s not like he’s not going to get another chance,” he added.

Brandon Woodruff is expected to return from the injured list soon. With his return, Sproat would likely be demoted to get back his command.

Meanwhile, the Mets fans might be missing how the Brewers’ front office is working.

The Brewers are doing it right, what the Mets couldn’t

The Mets fans have a long-standing regret that their manager, Carlos Mendoza, lacks influence over his clubhouse. Despite struggles, Mendoza failed to call out his bad players in public. Something Pat Murphy is doing is right.

The Brewers manager called out pitcher Abner Uribe for his antics against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

Uribe pitched the eighth inning of a 6-0 win. After his third strike ended the Cardinals’ inning, his WWE-style crotch chops attracted the wrong attention. Murphy took no time to call him out for his action.

“I don’t know what got over him, I mean, he’s been an emotional guy, but those kinds of things, that’s just not how we do things,” Murphy said. “I was embarrassed by it. Why are we doing it? It’s a 6-0 game. What are we doing there?”

Murphy also noted that “It’s not going to be tolerated.”

MLB agreed and gave Uribe a one-game suspension for the incident.

In comparison, Mendoza has yet to call out the strugglers despite the team’s last position in the division.

“There’s so much I could sit here and say that we worry – we’ve got to go out and do it ourselves. We’re not putting ourselves in good positions. It’s not early anymore. Whatever I say here doesn’t matter; we’ve got to go out there and do it.”

Mendoza’s recent response after the Mets struggled against the Cincinnati Reds sparks the difference between him and Murphy.