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Brewers are leading from behind and just need back-to-back wins to meet the Rangers in the World Series. In all seriousness, Miller's Space Fillers are in a very tight spot - especially with Shaun Marcum taking the hill and Gallardo unavailable. Marcum, who had a successful year of starting pitching, began to flag down the stretch, pitching above a 5.00 ERA during the last month of the season. He's given up 5 earned runs, 7 hits and 4 walks in just 8.2 innings over two postseason starts. Some pitchers aren't going to keep up their pace once past a certain threshold and this was the first season you could "mark 'im" down for 200 IP. He's now two outs away from 210, counting the playoffs.
Meanwhile, after the Brewers' 6-run fifth inning that keyed their Game One victory, the Cardinals bullpen has settled into shut-down mode, allowing just 4 runs over the next 21 innings. They've had a day to rest, but it's possible the workload will catch up with them. The Brewers will have to hope for regression and some help from their own superb bullpen (which has three closers plus the always helpful LaTroy Hawkins and also kindly granted 1.2 innings to Danny Ray Herrera this season), with a short hook from Marcum. The Brewers can also hope to reap the benefits of Miller Park, where they haven't lost a game since the Clinton Administration. I'm speaking, of course, about Hillary Clinton's administration as Secretary of State.
The Brewers win over 70% of the time at home in Milwaukee, where they can sing this song in the face of all the doubting schlemeels:
Give us any chance, we'll take it.
Give us any rule, we'll break it.
We're gonna make our dreams come true.
Doin' it our way.
STL @ MIL
8:05pm, Miller Park
Edwin Jackson vs. Shaun Marcum
Coverage: TBS, Postseason.tv