Brewers’ ‘unconventional’ pitching ploy backfires

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell took his unorthodox approach to managing his pitching staff to a new level Wednesday when he pulled starter Wade Miley after the first at-bat of game five of the National League Championship Series.

The strategy, which had baseball fans and pundits buzzing, didn’t pay off as the Brewers fell 5-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers – who took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and can book a return trip to the World Series with a game six win in Milwaukee on Friday.

Counsell pulled left-hander Miley immediately after he walked the Dodgers’ left-handed leadoff man Cody Bellinger on five pitches in the game’s first at-bat.

Counsell sent in righty Brandon Woodruff to take on the rest of a Dodgers lineup heavy on right-handed hitting talent and confirmed after the game that had been his plan all along, with Miley now slated to start again on Friday.

“Look, they’re trying to get matchups, we’re trying to get matchups,” he said of letting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts think they’d be up against a left-handed starting pitcher. “They’re a very tough team to get matchups against.” Miley said he was told of the plan on Monday. “It’s not my job to question it,” he said. “We’re trying to get to the World Series, and the strategic side of it, it looked to be a pretty good idea with the way they use their bench over there. I was in. Everybody bought in.”

Roberts had little to say on the tactic, but he didn’t seem all that surprised.

“It was very unconventional,” Roberts said. “But we were prepared for anything.”

The Dodgers manager had placed two left-handed hitters – Bellinger and Max Muncy, who usually sit against southpaws – in the lineup after using an all-righty lineup against Miley in game two.

“Obviously our lineup today was different than the other lineup when we faced Miley,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to prepare for the unexpected.”