Milwaukee Brewers’ Ron Roenicke confident that Shaun Marcum can win NLCS Game 6 – MLB Update
The Milwaukee Brewers will enter Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, October 16 with an aim of not only winning this one, but gaining momentum for the next as well.
The Brewers are currently 2-3 down in the seven-game series and have no other choice but to win for survival in the series. With elimination looming the team, manager Ron Roenicke has decided to go with Shaun Marcum on the mound instead of ace Yovani Gallardo,
saving him for a potential Game 7 matchup against Cardinals’ ace Chris Carpenter.
Explaining his reasoning for the choice, Roenicke clarified that even if Gallardo gives the team a win in Game 6, the Brewers will have no substantial force to counter Carpenter’s expertise in the finale.
Talking to reporters on the eve of the game, Roenicke said, “I don't know why I would bring back Yo to win tomorrow when it would hurt us then for the next day and not being able to win. I don't know if there's a difference there. I think it makes sense
to keep Yo on his basic rest."
The manager further added that if Yovani started Game 6, a choice would have to be made between Randy Wolf and Marcum. This, he believed, is not a viable option because Gallardo has never started on a three-day rest and his last outing against the Redbirds
in Game 3 did not prove to be fruitful for the team.
Termed as Milwaukee’s biggest game of the season, the outcome of Game 6 now rests in the hands of Marcum, who was exceptional in the regular season, but has failed to make his mark in the postseason. In two starts during the playoffs, Marcum has allowed
runs at an average of 12.46 and this is his chance to resurface on the mound.
Accepting the challenge, Marcum has gained a lot of confidence by the fact that his manager has entrusted him with the responsibility of keeping the team alive in the pennant race. He was grateful to the management and team-mates alike for showing their
confidence in him and the starter believes that he is now more confident of prevailing in the game.
Ruling out the possibility of tossing a complete-game, Marcum articulated that his aim will be to get the ball to John Axford with a lead.
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