MILWAUKEE -- The Los Angeles Dodgers came up empty against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, but after rallying to within a run in the ninth inning, the Dodgers are ready to get back to work in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.
"We did some good things tonight," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers' 6-5 loss in Game 1. "The goal is to win a baseball game, but I think that it shows the compete in our guys."
If the Dodgers want to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven series, they'll need to play much better defense than they did in the opener. Los Angeles committed four errors Friday night, two of them by catcher Yasmani Grandal in the third inning.
Grandal, who was also charged with two passed balls, was called for catcher's inteference on what would have been a lineout by Jesus Aguilar and then a missed catch on Hernan Perez's sacrfice fly as Milwaukee took a 2-1 lead.
"The catcher's interference, that was something that very freak thing," Roberts said. "And the relay, it's a play that I know that Yasmani will say he should have made. You know, giving up bases, that's pretty uncharacteristic, but it's just one of those things that unfortunately didn't make the plays that I know he expects to make."
Saturday's matchup features two left-handed staters for the second straight game.
Hyun-Jin Ryu gets the nod for Los Angeles after an impressive showing in Game 1 of the NLDS. Starting in place of Clayton Kershaw, Ryu held the Atlanta Braves to four hits -- allowing only one runner to get bast first base -- while striking out eight in seven shutout innings.
Ryu has only allowed one run in his last 26 innings and will face Milwaukee for just the second time in his career. The last meeting came more than five years ago when he held the Brewers to two runs in 7 1/3 innings of a 9-2 Dodgers victory on May 22, 2013.
"The Brewers have changed over the period of time (since his last start against them)," Ryu said during a Friday afternoon media session. "I don't think there's really a need to compare them with the team that I pitched five years ago, but they're a good team.
"Obviously, I would have to prepare accordingly, but I think I'm ready to go."
Left-hander Wade Miley gets the start as Milwaukee looks to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. He was outstanding his last time out, scattering three hits and a walk in 4 2/3 scoreless innings last Sunday as the Brewers wrapped up a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the NL Division Series at Coors Field.
Miley hasn't worked more than five innings since Sept. 4, but after having to use all of his high-leverage relievers to hold off the Dodgers in Game 1, Brewers manager Craig Counsell isn't worried about a short-handed relief corps.
"You won't see Josh (Hader) tomorrow, for sure," Counsell said. "He's got two days off and then he'll be good to go. Everybody else we're good with. We're in good shape tomorrow. Corbin Burnes did not pitch today and was not up. We got possibilities, a lot of possibilities for tomorrow, so good stuff."
