He places it just past the shift in right field, and Milwaukee has a baserunner for Erik Kratz.Speaking of yikes, Turner, who is having an uncharacteristically poor postseason, hits into a double play to end the top of the first.I thought Brewers fans were venting their frustration, but no, Mike Moustakas is up. Plus, he has a job here fit for a pitcher, and he accomplishes it: Buehler bunts Taylor over to second, bringing up Hernandez with a runner in scoring position.Brewers pitching has done a tremendous job on the Dodgers in this NLCS, holding them to just three runs per game. The Dodgers need him to not have that kind of inning this time around.Jansen is still out here for Los Angeles, as expected. That brings up Justin Turner with a runner on, and he embarrassed a ball boy on national television. Every time I look at the OPS of someone on the Brewers or Dodgers in the postseason I do not understand how anyone has scored this series.Aguilar is now 0-for-3 in Game 7, and the Brewers are still down by four, but now with three fewer outs.Here’s Walker Buehler for the Dodgers. All he does this time is move Muncy to third, and at the expense of Turner being thrown out at second. The Dodgers haven’t won since 1988, and this is what their postseason time has looked like in between then and now:Buehler doesn’t go into meltdown mode like last time, and gets Ryan Braun and Travis Shaw out to put an end to the first inning.
It’s not to be: Buehler records his sixth strikeout, and it ends the threat in the bottom of the fourth. It’s 2-1, Dodgers.Wish granted for Milwaukee: Arcia hits a single, pushing Moustakas into scoring position, and giving the Brewers the chance to pinch-hit for Chacin with Jonathan Schoop. He’s safe, but goofy. Kershaw is warming, too, so his pitching has gone from hypothetical to what’s happening. Here comes Clayton Kershaw, with a 5-1 lead to protect. Alas.Kratz puts a charge into one to deep left, but not deep enough. He fouls off the third one, too, except right into the catcher’s mitt, and the Dodgers fail to add to their 2-1 lead.Woodruff falls behind 3-0, but he comes back and strikes Muncy out to keep the Dodgers from scoring any more runs. Is Clayton Kershaw going to close this one out?
Which fan base will hurt more after Game 7 wraps up? The Dodgers led the National League in runs scored during the regular season (4.93 per game), but is hitting just .210/.293/.293 in this series against the Brewers.Puig was so close that, if the Dodgers end up losing this game, there’s your visual metaphor for their season.
Barnes goes down by way of the K, and here’s the pitcher, Buehler. Search for:
Bellinger beat out the double play throw easily, though, so here’s Puig with a chance to collect a two-out RBI.Lorenzo Cain gets a single because Hernandez went in the wrong direction after contact — whoops — but he’s bailed out right after by a double play that Yelich hit into. A Cody Bellinger homer early combined with a later Yasiel Puig dinger sealed the deal for Los Angeles, and now they’re set to face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series for the first time in over 100 years — back when Babe Ruth was still a pitcher, and still on the Sox.Yes, yes I know Yelich homered earlier.
Jansen gets his out, and we’re on to the eighth.
There are just two outs left in the Brewers’ season. Milwaukee: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (2-0 in 2018 Playoffs)=15-8 record, 3.50 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 156 strikeouts, 71 walks allowed, 192.2 innings pitched. And hey, that just changed right after I typed that fact that is no longer a fact: it’s now 2-1 Dodgers thanks to a Bellinger blast to right.Moustakas strikes out! Say what you will about his hustle or whatever but he can throw.He gets one, in the top outside corner for a called strike three, to retire Hernandez. Defensive Regression Analysis data used here was obtained with permission from Michael Humphreys, author of Wizardry.