It’s take two for Miley
Lefty gets 2nd start in row as Brewers look to stay alive
MILWAUKEE — Wade Miley, take two.
And this time, the Brewers left-hander figures to seeing more than one batter in his next start in the NL Championship Series.
It comes Friday night when Miley will try to help the Brewers stave off elimination, down 3-2 to the Dodgers.
Miley goes back to the hill two days after being lifted after facing leadoff hitter Cody Bellinger in Game 5 in a designed move by manager Craig Counsell.
“I think I’ll be fine. Just got to go out and make pitches,” Miley said at Dodger Stadium after the Brewers f ell 5- 2 on Wednesday.
The last pitcher to start back-to-back games in the same postseason series was George Earnshaw of the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1930 World Series. Earnshaw tossed seven shutout innings in Game 5 before pitching a complete game two days later, allowing one run in a win that took the series. Can you top that, Wade? “I started the end of an All- Star break and the other side of it,” Miley said.
Not quite the same. Miley got the last start against the Dodgers, and was pulled after a five-pitch walk.
Reliever Brandon Woodruff did the bulk of the Brewers’ initial “outgetting” after coming in to face the second batter. Woodruff allowed three runs, two earned, along with five hits and a walk while fanning eight in taking the loss after going 51⁄ innings. Brewers manager Craig Counsell takes out starter Wade Miley after he faced just one Dodgers batter Wednesday. Dodgers lead 3-2 G1: Brewers 6, Dodgers 5 G2: Dodgers 4, Brewers 3 G3: Brewers 4, Dodgers 0 G4: Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 (13) G5: Dodgers 5, Brewers 2 G6: Dodgers (Ryu) at Brewers (Miley) 8:39 p.m. Friday, FS1 G7: Dodgers at Brewers 9:09 p.m. Saturday, FS1 Game 7 if necessary
Counsell explained that the unconventional move was an effort to get the best matchups. The Dodgers led off with lefty-hitting Clay Bellinger before going with three straight righthanders in the lineup. They had one other lefty in the starting lineup, power hitter Max Muncy.
Results were mixed. The Dodgers were held scoreless until the fourth, then broke through with five runs over the next three innings.
This was the latest extension of the Brewers’ pitching- by- committee strategy in the postseason. The Brewers are playing to one of their strengths, which is a deep, hardthrowing bullpen. More teams around the league picked up on the maneuver after the Rays started using bullpen days to get through some games this season.
For the 31-year-old Miley, the back-to-back starts are another highlight in a turnaround season in Milwaukee. Miley was 5-2 with a 2.67 ERA over 80plus innings in 16 regularseason starts after joining the club on a minor-league contract in spring training.
He hasn’t given up a run in 101⁄ innings this postseason. If it were up to him, Miley would stay in as long as possible.
“Craig’s the manager, he makes the final decision,” Miley said this week, “but at the same time, you want to make it as tough on them as possible. We try to go out there and do the best we can.”