Saturday could be the last Major League Baseball game of the season in Milwaukee, which is looking to win the NL pennant for the first time. It’s Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers with the series heading to Los Angeles for the next three if necessary. In Game 1, we saw Milwaukee taking the first victory by one run. Thus, depending on what happens in Game 2, this series might not return to Beer Town, or the Brewers could win the pennant on the Left Coast and be assured of at least two more home games in the Fall Classic.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell has pulled a couple of surprises. He opted against ace Jhoulys Chacin for Game 1, going with mediocre veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Instead of Chacin for Game 2, Counsell is rolling with lefty Wade Miley.
Miley pitched well in a no-decision in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Rockies on Sunday, scattering three hits and a walk over 4 2/3 scoreless frames. Had Counsell left him in to get one more out, he would have been in line for the victory here, but Miley gave way to Corey Knebel with a man on and two outs in the fifth. The 31-year-old southpaw has been a tremendous addition for the Brewers, posting a 2.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 80 2/3 innings in 16 starts during the regular season.
Miley’s cut fastball, which he only started throwing last year and was his go-to pitch this season, was a legitimate weapon this season. Batters hit just .196 against it, and righties managed only a .190 average and .319 slugging percentage. That pitch also induces tons of groundballs, particularly pulled to the left side of the infield, which Milwaukee takes into account: Miley gets the most shifts of any Brewers pitcher against right-handed hitters, at 36.4%.
Milwaukee will use its bullpen plenty. Because the Brewers ask so much of that ‘pen, the fact the Brewers got extra rest ahead of this series could only help. Relievers Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, Knebel and Joakim Soria each pitched in all three games of the NLDS, with a day off between Games 2 and 3.
Miley said every pitcher who takes the ball first has the same goal: pitch as many innings as possible until Counsell decides it’s time to turn it over to his deep relief corps. Including the NLDS, Brewers relievers are 14-0 with a 1.72 ERA over the last 28 games and opponents have batted just .188.
“We go out and try to get as many outs as we can, then turn it over to a bullpen that’s unbelievable all year long,” Miley said. “I can just tell you that each one of us believes the same thing — not look at what’s ahead of us. It’s the best bullpen I’ve seen in a long time.”
Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun (25) is the all-time franchise leader in postseason hits as he passed both Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, who each had 22. Braun is a career .373 (25-for-67, 2hr, 12rbi) hitter in the postseason.
Dodgers vs Brewers NLCS Game 2 Odds & Prediction
- When: Saturday, 4:09 PM ET
- Where: Miller Park, Milwaukee
- Probable pitchers (away/home): TBA/Wade Miley
- TV: Fox
- Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: Los Angeles / Milwaukee
- Opening NLCS Game 2: Dodgers -122
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 11°C/51°F
- Humidity: 51%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Wind: 14 mph SW
- Cloud Cover: 41%
- Type of Stadium: Retractable
Why Bet on LA Dodgers?
While the Dodgers went with ace Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 Friday, they haven’t announced their Game 2 starter as of this writing. It’s expected to be either lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu or rookie Walker Buehler. Ryu was great in his NLDS Game 1 start vs. the Braves, shutting them out on four hits over seven with eight strikeouts and no walks. It was a carryover from his strong regular season, where he posted a 1.97 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his 82 1/3 innings with Los Angeles over 15 starts. A torn groin sidelined him for three months. Ryu has had trouble staying healthy. He underwent shoulder surgery in May 2015, returned in July 2016, made one awful start, then went back on the shelf again, ultimately succumbing to elbow surgery. Buehler (8-5, 2.62) wasn’t at his best in Game 3 of the NLDS, settling for a no-decision after allowing five runs on two hits and three walks over his five frames. Buehler struck out seven in the ballgame. All of the damage came in the second inning, where he walked the opposing starter, Sean Newcomb, with the bases loaded before surrendering a grand slam to Ronald Acuna. Still, Buehler has had a fantastic season. There’s also a slight chance it could be Rich Hill in Game 2. Some of this depends on what happens in Game 1. The Dodgers rotation is as deep and as healthy as we’ve seen it in recent Octobers. During the regular season, Los Angeles starters posted the best ERA (3.19) in the NL and had a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings against the Braves in the NLDS. The Dodgers blasted a franchise record and National League-best 235 home runs (2nd MLB, NYY 267) in the regular season. The club’s home run total ranked seventh on the NL’s all-time list. Los Angeles had seven players – Cody Bellinger (25), Yasmani Grandal (24), Kiké Hernández (21), Matt Kemp (21), Max Muncy (35), Joc Pederson (25) and Yasiel Puig (23) – finish the season with 20 or more home runs, the most in franchise history and the most ever by an NL club. The feat has been accomplished six times in the American League. The AL also has the DH. The Dodgers also led the NL and set Los Angeles records with 564 extra-base hits and a .442 slugging percentage. Los Angeles led the NL for the second consecutive season with a +194 run differential, its best mark since 1974 (+237).Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs/G: 4.93
- BA: .250
- OPS: .774
- HR: 235
- SB: 75
- ERA: 3.38
- WHIP: 1.15
- KS: 1,565
- Quality Starts: 79
- Errors: 100
Why Bet on Milwaukee?
Brewers manager Craig Counsell has pulled a couple of surprises. He opted against ace Jhoulys Chacin for Game 1, going with mediocre veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Instead of Chacin for Game 2, Counsell is rolling with lefty Wade Miley.
Miley pitched well in a no-decision in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Rockies on Sunday, scattering three hits and a walk over 4 2/3 scoreless frames. Had Counsell left him in to get one more out, he would have been in line for the victory here, but Miley gave way to Corey Knebel with a man on and two outs in the fifth. The 31-year-old southpaw has been a tremendous addition for the Brewers, posting a 2.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 80 2/3 innings in 16 starts during the regular season.
Miley’s cut fastball, which he only started throwing last year and was his go-to pitch this season, was a legitimate weapon this season. Batters hit just .196 against it, and righties managed only a .190 average and .319 slugging percentage. That pitch also induces tons of groundballs, particularly pulled to the left side of the infield, which Milwaukee takes into account: Miley gets the most shifts of any Brewers pitcher against right-handed hitters, at 36.4%.
Milwaukee will use its bullpen plenty. Because the Brewers ask so much of that ‘pen, the fact the Brewers got extra rest ahead of this series could only help. Relievers Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, Knebel and Joakim Soria each pitched in all three games of the NLDS, with a day off between Games 2 and 3.
Miley said every pitcher who takes the ball first has the same goal: pitch as many innings as possible until Counsell decides it’s time to turn it over to his deep relief corps. Including the NLDS, Brewers relievers are 14-0 with a 1.72 ERA over the last 28 games and opponents have batted just .188.
“We go out and try to get as many outs as we can, then turn it over to a bullpen that’s unbelievable all year long,” Miley said. “I can just tell you that each one of us believes the same thing — not look at what’s ahead of us. It’s the best bullpen I’ve seen in a long time.”
Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun (25) is the all-time franchise leader in postseason hits as he passed both Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, who each had 22. Braun is a career .373 (25-for-67, 2hr, 12rbi) hitter in the postseason.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs/G: 4.79
- BA: .256
- OPS: .757
- HR: 210
- SB: 95
- ERA: 4.33
- WHIP: 1.31
- KS: 1,049
- Quality Starts: 84
- Errors: 74
Dodgers vs Brewers NLCS Game 2 Betting Trends
- LA Dodgers is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 games
- LA Dodgers is 7-1 SU in the last 8 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers’s last 6 games on the road
- Milwaukee is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games
