Freese leads off for Dodgers with Brewers LHP Miley on mound

Associated Press
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Wade Miley throws during the first inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Left-hander Wade Miley will have to face to a right-handed hitter right away in Game 6 as the Milwaukee Brewers try to stave off elimination in the NL Championship Series.

First baseman David Freese is leading off for the Los Angeles Dodgers after hitting third in Game 5.

Miley also started that game on Wednesday but was pulled after walking the leadoff hitter, left-hander Cody Bellinger, in a planned move by manager Craig Counsell to exploit Los Angeles' righty-heavy lineup.

Right-handed reliever Brandon Woodruff then entered the game, and the Brewers held the Dodgers scoreless until the fifth inning of a 5-2 win for Los Angeles.

Freese is a career .350 hitter (7 for 20) with a homer and four walks against Miley.

Left-handed slugger Max Muncy is hitting second behind Freese in Game 6. He's followed by Justin Turner, Manny Machado and Bellinger, the only other lefty in the Dodgers' lineup.

They're followed by Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig and Austin Barnes, with starter Hyun-Jin Ryu batting ninth.

"It's a game that you just don't know how it's going to unfold," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "With the way that we structured the lineup and the guys we have on the bench, just kind of gives us a little bit of flexibility on how we want to use the guys on the bench."

The Brewers have made one tweak to their lineup. Left-handed hitting Travis Shaw was in the cleanup position and starting at second against lefty starter Ryu. Shaw has not started since Game 3.

Left-handers hit .250 against Ryu in the regular season, 37 points higher than right-handed hitters.

Lorenzo Cain leads off with left-handed hitting MVP candidate Christian Yelich batting second. They're followed by Ryan Braun, Shaw and Jesus Aguilar.

Lefty-swinging Mike Moustakas hits sixth, followed by Erik Kratz, Orlando Arcia and Ryu.

Counsell said he has lefties and righties alternating in his lineup to force the Dodgers to make tough matchup decisions out of the bullpen. Los Angeles relievers have a 1.11 ERA in the postseason, holding hitters to a .188 average.

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