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Brewers’ ‘unconventional’ pitching ploy doesn’t thwart Dodgers
LOS ANGELES, Oct 18, 2018 (BSS/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.”
Such a short start for a starting pitcher is rare in post-season history.
When Johnny Cueto struck out the only batter he faced in game one of a
National League division series in 2012 his exit was because of back spasms.
Back in 1924, in game seven of the World Series, Washington Senators
manager Bucky Harris used a similar ploy, pulling starter Curly Ogden, a
right-hander, for left-handed George Mogridge after two batters in a move
designed to force New York Giants manager John McGraw to reconsider his
deployment of dangerous left-handed hitter Bill Terry.
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.”
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1210 hrs