Notes: Brewers replace injured Gio Gonzalez on NLCS roster with right-hander Zach Davies

LOS ANGELES - As expected, the Brewers removed left-hander Gio Gonzalez from their NLCS roster before Game 5 on Wednesday after he suffered a high ankle sprain the previous night.

To replace Gonzalez on the roster, the Brewers activated right-hander Zach Davies, who had not pitched since the regular season ended. Davies was traveling with the team as one of the inactive players still working out and staying ready. 

Gonzalez suffered his ankle injury in the second inning of Game 4 trying to field a high chopper off the bat of the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig. By being removed from the NLCS roster, he is ineligible for the World Series if the Brewers make it, even if healthy. 

"Zach was under consideration at the beginning of the series," manager Craig Counsell said. "We've kept him prepared and going pretty good here. Today and for the rest of the series, he's a length option, really.

"Having been a starting pitcher and started on the last weekend of the season he's capable of throwing a lot of pitches. There's certainly a chance he's in the game today."

Davies was activated on a day veteran lefty Wade Miley started Game 5 on short rest, but as it turned out, that wasn't the Brewers' complete plan. Miley exited after issuing a leadoff walk to Cody Bellinger, and was replaced by Brandon Woodruff. 

"If my name gets called today hopefully I can give the team some much-needed innings and some breaks," Davies said. "I'll just try and be ready for that. It's awesome to be a part of it."

Davies did get to pitch but not in the role he or Counsell wanted. He was summoned to mop up in the eighth with the Dodgers holding a 5-1 lead.

Miley is expected to start Game 6 on what would be full rest from Game 2, which would give him consecutive starts and three of six in the series. That would leave Jhoulys Chacin available on full rest for Game 7, if necessary.

Acquired from Washington on Aug. 31, Gonzalez will be a free agent following the season and is unlikely to return to the Brewers, who have a number of younger options for the rotation such as Woodruff, Freddy Peralta and Corbin Burnes.

"Freddy's performance last night just gets us excited for the future," Counsell said, referring to the rookie's three hitless innings and six strikeouts in the 2-1, 13-inning loss in Game 4. "When a 22-year-old steps into a situation like that and not just gets through it but excels and handles himself so well, it gets you really excited for the future.

"Then when you follow that up with another homegrown product, young, rookie pitcher (Burnes) that does the same, it gets you really excited."

Davies wasn't included on the National League Division Series roster or original NLCS roster after injuries and inconsistency left him with a 2-7 record and 4.77 ERA in 13 starts. He went 17-9 with a 3.90 ERA over 33 starts in a breakout 2017 campaign.

"Everybody in the clubhouse has that feel that at any moment their name could be called upon," Davies said. "Everybody has done their work and stayed sharp and stayed ready in case something like this does happen."

Counsell said that Chase Anderson was also under consideration to replace Gonzalez but Davies ultimately got the call because it had been too long since Anderson last pitched (Sept. 18).

No Manny motivation needed: Counsell made it clear that his team didn't need any motivation from Manny Machado's antics the previous evening to get pumped up for Game 5.

"We don't need motivation for these games," Counsell said before the game. "Both teams are two games away from the World Series. There's no motivation needed. We're highly motivated."

Some folks wondered what mood the Brewers would be in after Machado angered them by clipping the back leg of first baseman Jesus Aguilar – by all appearances, intentionally – in the 10th inning while running out a ground ball. The benches emptied briefly but the altercation quickly died down.

Aguilar later said he made peace with Machado but other players were not as forgiving. Christian Yelich was particularly upset, calling it "a dirty play by a dirty player." Machado basically said he didn't care what the Brewers thought and Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts wouldn't say his player did anything wrong.

Major League Baseball apparently disagreed because it was reported that Machado was fined $10,000 for what he did to Aguilar at first base, which could have injured him. 

The Brewers already were irked at Machado for a couple of questionable slides into shortstop Orlando Arcia in Game 3. Upon video review, Machado was ruled to have interfered on the second slide and a double play was the result.

As for what Yelich and other Brewers players said about Machado being a dirty player, Counsell said, "Look, the game's played on the field. And there's the 'after games,' you know, talk, and stories and things like that. But then when the game starts you go out and you compete, and that's what we'll do.

"It's Game 5 of the NLCS, man. You say to yourself, 'Two games from the World Series.' That's all you've got to say. The other stuff just washes away, man. That's meaningless to me."

There was some speculation that the Brewers might retaliate against Machado by throwing at him, but after covering 13 innings the previous evening and already using the bullpen frequently, they could not afford an early ejection of their "initial out-getter."

Counsell said he didn't expect special instructions before the game from the umpires to behave themselves. Woodruff did nick Machado with a pitch in the sixth but it was a tight game at the time with no obvious intent.

"I'm not concerned about that," Counsell said. "Umpires have, I think at least in our games, I think they've done a wonderful job of recognizing situations, that this is the playoffs and that emotions run a little higher in these games for players and managers and coaches. I think they've done a wonderful job."

Of the rhetoric from the previous evening, Counsell said, "We all want something to talk about and you guys do, too. And that's great. But, man, you know, there's easy terms to put this day in, and these next four days in, that would center on accomplishing your dreams, that makes that other stuff really pretty meaningless, and able to worry about it at a different time."

A different time? Perhaps Machado, an upcoming free agent, should sign with a team that trains in the Grapefruit League and not the Cactus League, where the Brewers play. You know, just to be safe next spring.