This series certainly hasn’t been for the faint of heart. And if the high drama from the first three games wasn’t enough, game four gave a walkoff win in the bottom of the 13th in extra innings. Now, as we approach game five, the Milwaukee Brewers (2-2) look to take back the advantage in the series as they travel to Dodger Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (2-2). For the Brewers, they will be giving the ball to southpaw Wade Miley (5-5, 2.57 ERA). On the other side, the Dodgers will send ace Clayton Kershaw (9-5, 2.73 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm ET.
The moneyline for Wednesday’s game is set at the Milwaukee Brewers +135 and the Los Angeles Dodgers -163.
Brewers Hoping To Take Back Series Lead
The Milwaukee Brewers have had a remarkable postseason thus far and they look to keep it going when Wade Miley takes the mound Wednesday. During the postseason, Miley is 0-0 in 2 starts for the Brew Crew. He has pitched a combined 10.1 innings of shutout ball with a 0.58 WHIP and opponents are hitting just .139 against him. In his last outing, a 4-3 loss to the Dodgers in game 2, he went 5.2 innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out 3. The Brewers may be hoping for a solid start from him, particularly because Gio Gonzalez had to leave Tuesday’s game in the 2nd inning, leaving the Brewer bullpen a little taxed.
On the offensive side, the Brewers hope to get both Christian Yellich and Lorenzo Cain back on track. They have struggled throughout the playoffs thus far, but given their regular season success, you have to expect they will break through. During the regular season, Christian Yellich, a top NL MVP candidate, hit .326/.402/.598 with a 1.000 OPS. He had 34 doubles, 36 home runs, 110 runs batted in, 118 runs and 22 stolen bases. Cain was not too far behind as he hit .308/.395/.417 with a .813 OPS during the regular season.
He had 25 doubles, 10 home runs, 38 runs batted in, 90 runs and 30 stolen bases out of the leadoff spot. Still, with a lineup that also includes Jesus Aguilar, Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas, Travis Shaw and others, it is a lineup that can put up runs in a hurry. Oh, and don’t forget about reliever Brandon Woodruff, who homered off of Clayton Kershaw in game one.
Kershaw Hopes For Better Outing This Time Around
For whatever reason, Clayton Kershaw and the postseason don’t always get along. This was the case in game one of the series, when he went 3 innings, allowing 4 earned runs and striking out only 2. Still, Kershaw has the track record to think that it may be nothing but a small sample size. During the regular season, Kershaw was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and opponents only hit .227 against him. In 161.1 innings, he had 155 strikeouts, 29 walks and allowed 17 home runs. Kershaw will look to right the ship in game 5.
Offensively, the Dodgers have been happy with what they have gotten out of Manny Machado this postseason. Thus far, he has 3 home runs in the first 9 games with 9 runs batted in and 4 runs scored. He also scored the winning run in Tuesday nights contest. During the regular season, Machado hit .273/.338/.487 with a .825 OPS with the Dodgers. In those 267 at bats, he had 13 home runs, 42 runs batted in and 36 runs scored. A free agent to be after the season, Machado is hoping to continue a strong postseason to help his market come the offseason.
Dodgers Get A Good Outing From Kershaw To Win Game Five
After both bullpens were heavily leaned on in game four, I think this one is going to come down to which starter can give their team the most quality innings. For the Brewers, All-Star reliever Josh Hader threw 20 pitches, making it possible he could be available. For the Dodgers, their closer, Kenley Jansen, threw 34 pitches, making it less likely that he could throw much Wednesday. Still, I think that after a rough outing in game one, you will see a little vintage Kershaw and he will help his team get the win. Take the Dodgers at -163.