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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wade Miley threw just five pitches in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series before Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell emerged from the Dodger Stadium dugout and abruptly removed his starter.Oddly enough Orlando Arcia Jersey , five innings after this extraordinary bit of subterfuge, Counsell probably waited a bit too long to go to his bullpen again.Brandon Woodruff pitched 5 1/3 innings of highly unusual relief against the Dodgers on Wednesday, but he also gave up Max Muncy’s tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning of Los Angeles‘ 5-2 victory.Counsell has used his bullpen liberally and unconventionally throughout the Brewers‘ remarkable season, and this particular gambit yielded mixed results.All the results aren’t in yet, either: After walking leadoff hitter Cody Bellinger and then leaving Game 5, Miley will start Game 6 in Milwaukee on Friday when the Brewers attempt to avoid elimination.“Look, they’re trying to get matchups, we’re trying to get matchups,” Counsell said. “They’re a very tough team to get matchups against.”Counsell started a left-hander to persuade the Dodgers to stack their lineup with right-handed batters, hopefully giving an advantage to the right-handed Woodruff. From that standpoint, the Brewers were successful: Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts used six right-handed hitters as position players, and the Dodgers didn’t score until the fifth inning.Counsell didn’t even tell most of his players about his scheme until shortly before game time.Catcher Erik Kratz was in on the plan, of course. He understands why the Brewers will be questioned, but he is all-in on Counsell’s convention-flouting ideas.“Why can’t you?” Kratz asked. “Is it against the rules? Is it bush league? If it’s bush league, you can call it bush league. I don’t think it is, because they’re all on our team. … Brandon Woodruff is a really good pitcher, so he gets to get some outs.”A surprise bullpen game worked well, until it didn’t — and it ultimately didn’t prevent the Brewers from losing for the third time in four games after a 12-game winning streak that propelled them deep into the postseason.Woodruff escaped a first-inning jam and kept the Dodgers in check until the fifth, when he gave up Austin Barnes’ tying single.But in the sixth, Woodruff allowed Justin Turner’s leadoff single and hit Manny Machado with a pitch. Muncy chased him with a single that rocked a Chavez Ravine crowd eager to see the World Series again next week.Counsell’s options were limited from there after such aggressive bullpen usage. Corbin Burnes pitched on consecutive days for just the fifth time in his pro career and gave up an RBI single to Yasiel Puig. Veteran righty Joakim Soria worked for the third time in three days and was charged with two runs while getting one out.Milwaukee’s fearsome bullpen has been responsible for 14 of the Dodgers’ 16 runs in the series, and 12 of those have come in the sixth inning or later.Not many pitching strategies could make up for an offense that managed just three runs in the past 24 innings at Dodger Stadium.But Counsell caught nearly everyone off-guard when he took a season of bullpen tinkering to a new level. Most of the Brewers’ position players only heard about the strategy a few minutes before game time — and Christian Yelich didn’t know until Miley himself told him.“It’s kind of just how we roll over here, man,” Yelich said. “It’s been working out. When everyone has been called on, they’ve been able to do their job. Woody came in and was huge for us. Kept us in the game. They just got their hits and made their pitches when they had to. Credit to them.”Miley was pitching on three days’ rest in Game 5 after he made it into the sixth inning of Game 2 on Saturday. Woodruff hadn’t pitched more than four innings in a game since May 16, but he was ready to go long in Game 5 after not pitching for Milwaukee since Game 1.He even contributed at the plate against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for the second time in the NLCS. Woodruff homered off Kershaw in Game 1 in Milwaukee Jonathan Villar Jersey , becoming the third relief pitcher to homer in a postseason game.With a runner on first and one out in the third in Game 5, Woodruff drew a five-pitch walk from a visibly annoyed Kershaw, who couldn’t hit his spots. Lorenzo Cain then delivered an RBI double, although Woodruff eventually was stranded at third.But the Brewers made 18 consecutive outs between the third inning and a ninth-inning mini-rally, undoing their pitching staff’s resourceful performance.Counsell already was at the vanguard of the recent wave of managers figuring out new ways to use their bullpens, along with Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash.Cash regularly used an “opener” for one inning before going to his bullpen this season, a strategy other clubs began to adopt down the stretch. He took steps not to deceive opponents with the approach, though, routinely texting opposing managers as soon as he decided on his first pitcher so they could plot out their lineups accordingly.No Milwaukee starter had recorded an out in the sixth inning during this postseason until Miley did it in Game 2 of the NLCS. As the final week of the 2018 MLB regular season winds to a close and we get set for another exciting postseason, it's never too early to start looking ahead to free agency.This year's free-agent class has been among the most anticipated in recent memory for years now, with young superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado headlining a star-studded group of players set to hit the open market.The rumor mill won't really kick into full swing until the annual Winter Meetings, but let's take a quick run through some early rumors surrounding some of the top names in this year's class. We've also predicted how this year's qualifying offers will shake out.Moving Parts on the Philadelphia Phillies InfieldMaikel FrancoRich Schultz/Getty ImagesThe Phillies were busy on the free-agent market last offseason, handing multi-year deals to Jake Arrieta, Carlos Santana, Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek. This winter is expected to be equally busy, and an expected pursuit of top-tier free agent Manny Machado could have a ripple effect on the team's infield alignment.Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote:"Recently, [manager Gabe] Kapler has used Santana at third as a way to improve the Phillies' outfield defense. With Santana at third, Rhys Hoskins can move from left field to his natural first base and Kapler can use a stronger defender in left."There are variables to consider when weighing the possibility of using Santana at third base full time. One is Manny Machado. The Phillies are going to make a free-agent run at him this winter. He would look good at third base, but he might want to play shortstop and the Phils would probably be open to that to get him. Another is Maikel Franco. He had some big downs and some big ups in 2018. Will the Phils keep him or look to deal him? The guess here is they will look to move him."Franco, 26, has posted a 105 OPS+ with 22 home runs and 68 RBI this season, and he has team control through the 2021 season.However, limited on-base skills (.314 OBP, 6.2 percent walk rate, per FanGraphs) and below-average defense (-12 DRS http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-lorenzo-cain-jersey , -6.9 UZR/150, per FanGraphs) have limited him to 0.2 WAR.Still, he'd be an intriguing buy-low candidate for a team with the patience to try to unlock his full potential.Either way, there are enough moving parts on the Philadelphia infield to make this one of the more compelling storylines of free agency.Nelson Cruz Interested in Re-Signing with Seattle MarinersNelson CruzJayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images"He's happy in Seattle and wants to stay there," Nelson Cruz's agent Bryce Dixon told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. "He's hopeful we can work something out. From his perspective, he definitely wants to come back. He loves Seattle."Cruz, 38, is having another excellent season for Seattle with a 138 OPS+ and 36 home runs.In four seasons with the team, he's averaged 40 home runs and 102 RBI while posting a 148 OPS+, and he's been good for 16.9 WAR over the course of his four-year, $57 million deal.His advanced age makes anything beyond a one-year deal with a second-year mutual option unlikely, but it's hard to bet against another strong season given his consistent production.The Mariners have other factors to consider, though.An aging Robinson Cano might fit best at DH at this point in his career, but Cruz is also limited to DH duties, so there might not be an obvious spot for both players.Starting pitching also figures to be the primary focus of the offseason, so the team might opt to use the $14.25 million it paid Cruz this season to help add an impact arm.Cruz won't be eligible for a qualifying offer since he's already received one in his career, so that should help expand the market of interested teams.The Qualifying Offer MarketBryce HarperMark Brown/Getty ImagesMark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors recently wrote a piece previewing the qualifying offer market. He broke the potential candidates into the following categories:"The Easy Calls":Patrick Corbin, Yasmani Grandal, Bryce Harper, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel, A.J. Pollock,Elvis Andrus (opt-out) and Clayton Kershaw (opt-out)."The Borderline Cases":Michael Brantley, Charlie Morton, DJ LeMahieu and Justin Smoak (team option)."Probably Not":Adrian Beltre Jhoulys Chacin Jersey , Jed Lowrie, Nick Markakis, Hyun-Jin Ryu, David Price (opt-out)The qualifying offer figure was $17.4 million last winter and will likely sit around $18 million for this offseason.Cruz and Daniel Murphy are not eligible for an offer since they've already received one in their careers, while Machado, J.A. Happ and Cole Hamels can't be extended an offer since they were traded at midseason.So let's take a crack at predicting what will happen with those 17 players.Receives an Offer and Accepts:Charlie MortonReceives an Offer and Declines:Patrick Corbin, Yasmani Grandal, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Dallas Keuchel, Craig KimbrelDoesn't Receive an Offer: Adrian Beltre,Michael Brantley, DJ LeMahieu, Jed Lowrie, Nick Markakis, A.J. Pollock, Hyun-Jin RyuOther:Andrus and Price (opt-in), Smoak (option exercised)Teams have five days after the conclusion of the World Series to extend qualifying offers to players, and players then have 10 days to decide whether to accept or reject, so it's always the first item on a lengthy checklist of notable offseason dates.Will Machado sign with the Phillies and cause an infield shakeup? Is Cruz part of the Seattle Mariners' future plans? How will the qualifying offer process impact his year's free-agent class?We're still more than a month away from the start of the offseason, but there are already plenty of fun talking points surrounding free agency.All stats courtesy of Baseball Referenceunless otherwise stated and accurate through Sept. 25.