Milwaukee Brewers: Roadmap to stealing two games in Wild Card
By Kenny Jilek
Game Three
If there’s a game three, that means that the Brewers won one of the first two games. Whether that win came in game one or two has huge implications on how game three is pieced together. If game one was the victory, then they probably used most of their top bullpen arms, but they would have a day of rest because if they lost, then lower-level relievers would be used.
The starter would probably be Josh Lindblom, but could also potentially be Houser. Either way, anything much more than four innings can’t really be expected, and they’ll be on a short leash with any sign of trouble, probably leading to a quick hook from Counsell. Lindblom could very well give up at least two runs in those four innings, and that will not be an easy hole for the Crew to climb out of.
With the Brewers already in a deficit, they can’t afford many more runs to cross the plate. The interesting thing will be if Counsell trusts Knebel for any meaningful time due to his playoff experience and former success. Even just covering one inning would do a lot for the cause, but he might not get the chance because of how much he struggled for most of this season.
In the opposite position of Knebel, Justin Topa has pitched very well this season with a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings. However, he has never even appeared in an MLB game before this season, much less a playoff game with high stakes. My instincts tell me that Counsell sticks with guys who are experienced and have shown consistency this season, but if he’s low on relief arms, look for Topa, Rasmussen, or Knebel in game three.
Counsell may use Yardley and Claudio in a similar way that I outlined in game one, with one of them taking an inning of lefties and one for right-handers. Freddy Peralta could also be used if they wanted to get some length from a reliever, but with an extremely quick trigger if he’s not looking good.
When Freddy is on, he’s one of the scariest bullpen weapons in the league, with an alive fastball and a great slider-curveball combination as well. However, we saw Sunday how bad he can be when his command isn’t there. I’d warm up someone with him and have them ready just in case Freddy doesn’t look good after a hitter or two.
A lot depends on how much the Brewers combo of Hader and Williams had to pitch in the first two games. They’d love to get them past the Dodgers, but without much time to turn around and rest after game three, I’d doubt either one will have a multi-inning appearance, so getting to the 8th would be almost definitely required.
Most likely, it will be Houser or Peralta for a multi-inning appearance or that Yardley-Claudio combination for a couple of innings. Either way, they’ll have to find a way to get at least three runs and probably more like five, which seems borderline impossible for this year’s team.
Runs can come from anywhere, and the Milwaukee Brewers will need to find ways to get guys across home plate. A couple of home runs by guys like Vogelbach and Gyorko would be welcomed sights, and maybe the bottom of the order could generate some magic too.
Next. Bringing Jedd Gyorko Back Should be on To-Do List. dark
It’s all about who’s hot at the right time, and while the Brewers definitely aren’t a hot team at the end of the regular season, the playoffs are a different animal. Everyone is 0-0, and all hitters are batting .000 now. If two of these plans actually work out the way they’re lined up, which they rarely do, the Brewers will be moving on over the best team in baseball, and that glimmer of hope is exactly what we need in this crazy year.