Trevor Megill is used to closing games for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tonight, he’ll be on the other end and open the Brewers’ biggest game of the season.
The Brewers closer is set to start Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field.
On the other side will be pitcher who doesn’t normally start either. Long-reliever Drew Pomeranz is getting the ball to begin the game for the Cubs.
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Cubs vs Brewers Game 5 pitchers: Probable pitchers NLDS Game 5
Both teams will go with “openers” and are turning to relievers to get their teams through at least the first inning.
Trevor Megill (6-3, 2.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 30 saves) starts for the Brewers while Drew Pomeranz (2-2, 2.17 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) starts for the Cubs.
Who’s pitching for the Brewers tonight?
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Friday it was going to be an all hands-on deck with their pitching staff in Game 5.
It sure is.
The Brewers are opening with Trevor Megill, the team’s All-Star closer. The right-hander will be tasked with getting the Brewers through the first inning, which has been a major chore for the staff throughout the series.
They’ve allowed 11 runs in the first inning across the series, including a home run in each of the first four games.
This will be Megill’s third appearance in the series. He pitched in Games 2 and 4. He got the final two outs in the eighth inning in Game 2 on Oct. 6, inducing two flyouts.
He was the second pitcher to enter the game in Game 4 when he relieved starter Freddy Peralta to begin the fifth inning with the Brewers trailing, 3-0.
Megill was taken out after getting just one out. He faced three batters, striking out one, walking one and allowing a hit. He pitched 12 pitches.
Megill (6-3) posted 30 saves for the Brewers this season with a 2.49 ERA in 50 appearances. But he missed time from the end of August until the last game of the regular season with a right flexor strain.
Drew Pomeranz starting pitcher for Cubs tonight
The Cubs are also going with an unorthodox starter. Left-hander Drew Pomeranz, 36, will be the call.
Pomeranz pitched in three innings in the series already, and he hasn’t allowed a hit with five strikeouts. Pomeranz struck out two in each of his last two appearances during the Game 3 and 4 wins.
In five appearances in the playoffs, he hasn’t allowed a hit or run in five innings.
This is his first season with the Cubs. He pitched in 57 games with a 2-2 record with a 2.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
This is his 14th MLB season and eighth team. He pitched for the Brewers during the second half of the 2019 season, becoming a force out of the bullpen after the Brewers acquired him at the trade deadline. He pitched in the 2019 wild-card game, a heartbreaker in which Washington rallied to stun the Brewers.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who’s pitching for the Brewers tonight? Probable pitchers vs Cubs in Game 5 of NLDS playoffs
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
