After coming out on the winning side of a 13-inning marathon, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Milwaukee Brewers for a final time before the National League Championship Series shifts back to Miller Park this weekend.
With the NLCS all tied up at two wins apiece, Clayton Kershaw makes his third start of the 2018 postseason, second against the Brewers, and what could be his last in a Dodgers uniform. He was tabbed with a loss in Game 1 after yielding six hits and five runs (four earned) over just three innings pitched.
That performance was in stark contrast to Kershaw’s previous outing against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NL Division Series. The three-time Cy Young Award tossed eight shutout frames, issuing only two hits while recording three strikeouts on 85 pitches.
In his career against the Brewers, Kershaw is 6-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 91.1 innings pitched (14 starts). He faced Milwaukee twice during the regular season, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 12 innings of work.
The Brewers counter with Wade Miley, who starts on short rest after dominating the Dodgers in Game 2. He allowed only two hits in 5.2 shutout innings, but earned a no-decision after Los Angeles rallied back for a victory against Milwaukee’s bullpen.
Dave Roberts explains why Cody Bellinger is leading off and Max Muncy is starting at second base. #Dodgers #NLCS pic.twitter.com/rmyrLWjaFC
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) October 17, 2018
Miley has yet to give up a run this postseason in 10.1 innings of work. He previously tossed 4.2 shutout frames against the Colorado Rockies in Game 3 of the NLDS at Coors Field, helping propel the Brewers to a series sweep.
Having spent the first four seasons of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miley is plenty familiar pitching at Dodger Stadium. He owns a perfect 7-0 record with a 2.06 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 48 innings pitched, striking out 36 batters compared to 13 walks.
Ahead of the pivotal Game 5, the Brewers made a roster move in replacing the injured Gio Gonzalez with right-hander Zach Davies. Gonzalez suffered a high ankle sprain in his outing against the Dodgers on Tuesday, which limited him to facing only seven batters.
Miley faces a Dodgers lineup that uncharacteristically features Cody Bellinger at leadoff. “I like Cody’s at-bats against Miley,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained. “I think that the quality of contact and I like him there. Going forward how we could combat what they do, it made sense to us.”
Another noteworthy change is Max Muncy starting at second base for the first time since Sept. 11. “Don’t know how long it’s going to be him over there, depending on how the game unfolds,” Roberts said.
“David is at first base and at some point in time in the game we see Max going over to first base. But to start the game and get his bat and to produce some offense, I think it’s a good thing.”
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Cody Bellinger
3B: Justin Turner
1B: David Freese
SS: Manny Machado
2B: Max Muncy
LF: Chris Taylor
RF: Kiké Hernandez
C: Austin Barnes
P: Clayton Kershaw
Brewers lineup:
CF: Lorenzo Cain
RF: Christian Yelich
LF: Ryan Braun
1B: Jesús Aguilar
2B: Hernan Perez
3B: Mike Moustakas
C: Erik Kratz
SS: Orlando Arcia
P: Wade Miley
Want to get your content COMPLETELY AD FREE? Click here to follow us on Apple News!
