It’ll be a fight to finish
Getting to bullpen remains key for streaking Brewers
MILWAUKEE — Build an early lead, get five good innings out of the starter and bring in the bullpen.
The Brewers used that formula to win 11 straight games going into the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers.
Clayton Kershaw could be the ace that finally puts a stop to the streak.
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner will start for the Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday night at Miller Park.
“We know we’re not going to get a ton of opportunities” against Kershaw and Dodgers starting pitching, outfielder Ryan Braun said. “So we’ve talked about the importance of cashing in on the opportunities we do get.”
Once the Brewers take a lead, they’re hard to beat. The Brewers’ 3.47 ERA in relief was second in the NL only to the Cubs. The bullpen went 2-0 with a save and a 1.17 ERA in the threegame division series sweep of the Rockies.
Corey Knebel can come in as soon as the fifth, usually lights-out left-hander Josh Hader in just about any situation and Jeremy Jeffress in the late innings.
Knebel and Hader are making their postseason debuts, while Jeffress’ playoff experience before this year was limited to just one inning in 2016 with the Rangers.
“I thought it was going to be a lot different,” Knebel said Thursday of the playoffs. “The first time I came in, I felt the same, surprisingly. Hey’s it’s just another game. That’s all it is.”
The spotlight probably won’t faze the Dodgers, who are in a third straight NLCS for the first time in franchise history.
The strategy at the plate doesn’t change, either, just because the Brewers’ relievers are so good.
Knebel, Hader and Jeffress, along with Joakim Soria, appeared in all three games against the Rockies spread out over four days. The NLCS is best-of-seven, with the first four games over five days, so bullpen usage could differ.
“When you’re talking about a seven-game series,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “having those guys go to their pen and taxing them and beating the starter, there’s still a lot of value in that.”
Chasing the starter will require building an early lead that might require the Brewers to dip into his bullpen earlier or more often than planned.
“If they go bullpen game, like they did against the Rockies, it’s a seven-game set,” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said. “It’s more games you’re putting stress on the bullpen.” THE NLCS