Cubs, Brewers to both start relievers on mound for Game 5 - ESPN

Both the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers will have relievers starting Saturday's Game 5 as openers.

The Cubs announced that left-hander Drew Pomeranz would start, while the Brewers are turning to right-hander Trevor Megill, their All-Star closer.

Neither figures to go very deep into the game, as both teams plan to use several pitchers.

«With the exception of (Game 4 starter) Matt Boyd, everyone's going to be available,» Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday. «And so it's a cliché here, but we have 11 pitchers to figure out how to get 27 outs. That's how we're treating it.»

Pomeranz went 2-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 57 regular-season appearances, with 53 of them coming in relief. He has struck out five without allowing any hits or walks in five scoreless innings this postseason.

He has pitched one inning in each of the last three games of this series. Pomeranz was the winning pitcher in Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Cubs had the option of turning to Game 2 loser Shota Imanaga on four days' rest, but he posted a 6.51 ERA in September and has allowed six runs over 6 2/3 innings in two appearances this postseason.

Megill went 6-3 with 30 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 50 relief appearances during the regular season. He spent a month on the injured list with a strained right flexor before returning to pitch in the Brewers' regular-season finale.

Megill has pitched in two games this series. He retired the only two batters he faced in Game 2 and pitched one-third of an inning while allowing a hit and a walk in Game 4.

Milwaukee could use a similar approach to its Game 2 strategy, when seven different pitchers contributed to a 7-3 victory. Murphy noted that Aaron Ashby would be available after throwing 32 pitches in the Brewers' Game 4 loss