Brandon Woodruff enters NLCS Game 5 after 1 batter, Wade Miley to start Game 6

Craig Counsell is pulling out all of the stops to finish up this series against the Dodgers.

When Wade Miley was announced as the starter on Wednesday, no one doubted that he would pitch a few innings. However, Craig Counsell had his own plans. After Miley faced Cody Bellinger and walked him, Craig Counsell pulled him from the game and brought in Brandon Woodruff. It caught about everyone off guard, and allowed Woodruff to face a lineup of right-handed hitters that were meant to face a left-handed pitcher.

Meanwhile, questions were asked about Miley, if he had been injured or not, but it didn’t take long for the truth to come out.

This isn’t the first time this season that the Brewers planned to use a starter in a game. Back on September 24 against the Cardinals, Dan Jennings pitched to 1 batter before coming out for Freddy Peralta. However, that one was a more obvious situation where the Brewers were planning to use an opener for the game. Putting in Wade Miley eliminated suspicion that he would be used as an opener, and it worked well. Not only will other teams be a little more weary now of the Brewers plans, but it gave the Brewers a potential advantage in this game.

As for Miley, he won’t have to wait long before his next start. It’s expected that the Brewers will announce him as the Game 6 starter following today’s game. This will allow the Brewers to use Jhoulys Chacin in Game 7 if needed, though he would likely also be available out of the bullpen in a Game 6 situation if the Brewers are facing elimination. Plus, since most pitchers throw a bullpen session a few days before their next start, having Miley start like this shouldn’t affect him too much for Game 6.

We should get more information on Counsell’s plan for this game and the next two after today’s game. In the meantime, enjoy the chaos that is happening in Game 5.