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Wed Oct 17 201818:41Brewers pull Wade Miley after 1 batter in Game 5 subterfuge
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have pulled starting pitcher Wade Miley after he faced just one batter in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series.Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell unveiled his latest creative use of his bullpen Wednesday at a pivotal point.The left-handed Miley faced only Cody Bellinger in the first inning, walking the young slugger on five pitches.Counsell surprisingly emerged from the dugout and called for right-hander Brandon Woodruff to face the rest of a Los Angeles lineup featuring six right-handed batters.Fox Sports reported during its broadcast that a short start for Miley was the plan all along for Counsell, who had used his bullpen liberally and unconventionally throughout the Brewers' remarkable season.Miley will start Game 6 in Milwaukee on Friday.Miley was pitching on three days' rest in Game 5 after he made it into the sixth inning of Game 2 on Saturday. Counsell decided to give him a short workday in preparation for a longer start Friday.Woodruff hasn't pitched more than four innings in a game since May 16, but he was conceivably ready to go long in Game 5 after not pitching for Milwaukee since Game 1.Woodruff hit his first batter — Justin Turner — with a 3-1 pitch, but he escaped the first inning by getting Manny Machado to ground into a double play. He retired three straight Dodgers in the second.Woodruff then contributed at the plate against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for the second time in the NLCS.With a runner on first and one out in the third, Woodruff drew a five-pitch walk from a visibly annoyed Kershaw, who couldn't hit his spots. Lorenzo Cain then moved Woodruff to third with an RBI double, but Kershaw kept it 1-0 by striking out Jesus Aguilar with the bases loaded.Woodruff homered off Kershaw in Game 1 in Milwaukee, becoming the third relief pitcher to homer in a postseason game. Woodruff also got the win on the mound, and Kershaw was chased after three innings.When Kershaw batted against Woodruff later in the third, the Dodgers ace also drew a five-pitch walk. His teammates could not advance him, however.Counsell already was at the vanguard of the recent wave of managers figuring out new ways to use their bullpens, along with Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash.Cash regularly used an "opener" for one inning before going to his bullpen this season, a strategy other clubs began to adopt down the stretch. He took steps not to deceive opponents with the approach, though, routinely texting opposing managers as soon as he decided on his first pitcher so they could plot out their lineups accordingly.No Milwaukee starter had recorded an out in the sixth inning during this postseason until Miley did it in Game 2 of the NLCS.___More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/mlb and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports