National writers weigh in on Brewers' crafty decision to remove Wade Miley after one batter

Baseball fans' mouths were agape Wednesday afternoon when the Brewers pulled starter Wade Miley after one batter, revealing a strategy that had been kept under wraps for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Manager Craig Counsell was hoping the Dodgers would set their lineup with right-handers to counteract Miley, then bring in righty Brandon Woodruff as the "true" starter.

The Brewers ended up losing the game, 5-2, but not necessarily because the move backfired. The "subterfuge" was a much-discussed topic afterward, with some immediate backlash seeming as though the move violated the sport's integrity. Most national publications, however, gave a considered reflection on the strategy.

Fox TV color commentator John Smoltz was rendered speechless after saying, "I have no idea what just happened," so there are probably a lot of Brewers fans who liked that by-product. 

"My mic works, I just don't have time to process," Smoltz said. "Just trying to process. I'll get back to you."

It also gives us a bit of history, since Miley will be back on the mound Friday.

Here are some of the other reactions on the maneuver:

Ken Rosenthal, who was the first to report that Miley would start Game 6 (and seemed to be aware of what was happening), went in depth for The Athletic discussing why the concept should be celebrated as a crafty maneuver, not a cheap trick.

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports offered his own thoughts on "the hustle." 

Zach Kram of The Ringer said the incident called to mind a similar incident in the playoffs -- from 1924. And hey, it was seemingly respected then. 

For the Win found some pretty funny initial reactions to the maneuver, including this:

Grant Brisbee of SBNation correctly notes that while the Brewers had a fake starter, L.A. had the Hall of Fame one -- a type of pitcher the Brewers haven't been able to develop and wouldn't be able to keep if they had. He frames the story in a way that should make sense: the Brewers would love to let their starters work deep into games, if they had the dominant workhorses to give their team the best chance to win. They're maximizing what they have.

Zach Crizer of Baseball Prospectus also broke down the game with six decisions that were bigger than the Wade Miley gambit.