Did You Know . . . History is on Dodgers Side in Game 6

Wade Miley, who started and walked the only batter he faced in Game 5 on Wednesday, will be on the mound to start Game 6. He is the first pitcher to start back-to-back games in a post-season series since George Earnshaw with the Philadelphia A’s in the 1930 World Series.

Earnshaw, however, carried a heavier work load. He was 2-0 in the 1930 World Series when the A’s knocked off the Cardinals in six games, and started Games 2, 5 and 6. He worked 25 innings, giving up two runs.

Earnshaw pitched a complete game in a 6-1 win in Game 2 on Oct. 2. In Game 5, on Oct. 6, he pitched seven shutout innings, finally giving way to Lefty Grove, who was credited with the 2-0 win when the A’s scored twice in the ninth. The previous day, Grove suffered a 3-1 loss, allowing three runs, one earned, in eight innings.

And two days later, Earnshaw returned to the mound, and pitched a complete game 7-1 victory in wrapping up the World Championship for the A’s.

Having beaten the Brewers in Games 4 and 5, allowing three runs in 22 innings and striking out 22, the Dodgers have taken a 3-games-to-2 lead in he best-of-seven NLCS. Did you know the Dodgers are 5-1 all-time when leading a best-of-seven series 3-games-to-2, including the last five such series in a row.

The Brewers, however, do have the home field advantage, and home teams trailing 3-games-to-2 in a best-of-seven series have won Game 6 the last five times. The Brewers are 7-4 all-time when facing elimination in a post-season series, tied with the Mariners for the best winning percentage in MLB for teams with a minimum of 10 such games.

Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado is hitting .333 with a .407 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage in the last six games. He has two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored.

Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia has at least one hit and one run scored in six consecutive starts, joining Derek Jeter from 2000 as the only shortstops in MLB history to accomplish that.

Source: Stats, Inc., and Baseball-reference.com