Storm- News » the blockbuster Game 7 in all its glory on Saturday night

MILWAUKEE 鈥?Here it comes http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-rod-carew-jersey , the blockbuster Game 7 in all its glory on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers for the right to play the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, and鈥orget nervous stomachs.What the Dodgers really need is for Manny Machado to tame the butterflies in his head.There was always going to be a price to pay for his bush-league behavior in Los Angeles in this National League Championship Series鈥攌icking Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar as he crossed first base in Game 4 and explaining away the periodic dog in him with his infamous hustling is 鈥渘ot my cup of tea鈥?remarks鈥攁nd the first check came due hard in Friday night鈥檚 7-2 Game 6 loss to the Brewers.The Brewers鈥?crowd booed Machado as if he were in town to introduce Prohibition.Machado responded with a dry night at the plate, meekly going 0-for-4 and stranding three.鈥淚t was a tough loss for us today,鈥?he said when asked about the crowd, which was the polite way of checking on the ringing in his ears. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to come back and play better baseball tomorrow night.鈥漁K, well, um, sure.The way the Brewers ambushed starter Hyun-Jin Ryu for four runs in the first inning, another in the second, four doubles in the first two innings and then scored their sixth run when a wild pitch slipped past Yasmani Grandal, who is to catching in this NLCS what a single sandbag is to a raging flood鈥f course the Dodgers must play better Saturday night if they are to return to the World Series.That includes their marquee trade deadline addition, who appeared determined to hit the ball farther as the boos got louder.鈥淣o,鈥?Machado protested. 鈥淢y focus was on the game, trying to go pitch-by-pitch and drive in runs.鈥漈he sellout Miller Park crowd of 43,619 booed early and booed loudly. They hit decibels that made you hope parents were responsible enough to bring earplugs for infants. It was ear-splitting, it was sustained and it sure appeared to work.Within that 0-for-4, Machado fanned twice, never got the ball out of the infield and appeared in need of a good set of noise-canceling headphones.Charlie Riedel/Associated PressHis name was buried in boos during pregame introductions. An avalanche of boos greeted him again as he walked to the plate in the first inning, and the deafening noise remained throughout the at-bat, hitting a crescendo when he swung through strike three, a 92 mph heater from Milwaukee starter Wade Miley.He popped to short in the third and whiffed again in the fifth. With each swing-and-miss Brian Dozier Jersey , the crowd went bonkers.But the topper came in his final at-bat in the eighth with the Dodgers trailing 6-2.He ran hard all the way down the line鈥攖hat shouldn鈥檛 be worth noting in a major league game, but it is now with the self-proclaimed anti-Johnny Hustle鈥攂ut was thrown out.As he went back across the infield to the Dodgers鈥?third base dugout, he was booed vociferously every step of the way.After disappearing into the dugout, he re-emerged to join his teammates on the top step and couldn鈥檛 resist an exaggerated wave with his right arm as if to challenge the fans.By then, a full-throated 鈥淢anny sucks! Manny sucks! Manny sucks!鈥?chant was in full force.When I asked him about the motion afterward鈥擶as it a wave or brushoff of the fans? Was he motioning to a teammate? Did I mis-see something altogether?鈥擬achado gave a convoluted answer.鈥淚鈥檝e gotta play baseball,鈥?he said. 鈥淵ou come back to the dugout and try to root on your teammates. Belly [Cody Bellinger] was having a good at-bat. I always go back to the top step to root on my teammates.鈥淎 lot of things happened in the game. I can鈥檛 remember.鈥漀obody in the library-quiet Dodgers clubhouse could help but remember most of the rest of the evening. Milwaukee鈥檚 faithful came to see that their winter didn鈥檛 come early. By evening鈥檚 end, summer was assured to last one more day, even though it was a chilly 57 degrees with high winds outside.A cloudy, dreary day turned into a red-hot evening, and when it came time for the Milwaukee tradition following 鈥淭ake Me Out to the Ballgame鈥?during the seventh-inning stretch, with the Brewers leading 5-2, everyone sang 鈥淩oll Out the Barrel鈥?with gusto鈥nd the line 鈥渞oll out the barrel, we鈥檝e got the blues on the run鈥?seemed especially apt. The Dodger blues.鈥淭his is what you want to play for, this is the fun time,鈥?Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen said of Game 7. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to go play Dodger baseball.鈥滿att Slocum/Associated PressAcross the room, someone asked Chris Taylor about the way the Dodgers have responded all season, from trailing Arizona by nine games in the division a month into the season to chasing down Colorado in September when the Rockies briefly seized first place.鈥淲e have to keep that same mindset,鈥?Taylor said. 鈥淭omorrow is a new day. We have to come out and execute and try to win a game.鈥漅ookie phenom Walker Buehler will start, and you can be sure that ace Clayton Kershaw, who threw a 98-pitch gem on Wednesday, will be available out of the bullpen.On the flip side, another Friday night victory for Milwaukee was this: The Crew beat the Dodgers so badly that they didn鈥檛 even have to use relief ace Josh Hader. So the filthy left-hander will be available in Game 7 for multiple innings. Early? Late? Who knows http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-morneau-jersey , the way Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell maneuvers things.鈥淭hat鈥檚 their best reliever, and obviously you would have liked to have kept the game close enough to have them use him tonight,鈥?Roberts said. 鈥淭hey got away tonight because of run differential, they didn鈥檛 have to use him.鈥滺ader hasn鈥檛 pitched since Game 4 and now has a full three days鈥?rest.In fact, when asked how many innings Hader can go in Game 7, Counsell quipped, 鈥淭welve.鈥漌hen the laughter subsided, the manager clarified: 鈥淚鈥檓 just kidding.鈥滿aybe, maybe not. Who knows? For one night, it was party time in Milwaukee. As Game 6 played out and led toward Game 7, downtown the NBA鈥檚 Bucks were hosting the Indiana Pacers in the first game at the brand-new, state-of-the-art, $524 million Fiserv Forum.The Brewers went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position after going 5-for-35 with RISP combined over the first five games of this NLCS. The Dodgers went 0-for-3 in those situations, making them 6-for-36 over the past four games.鈥淚 think he had to know what was going to be coming,鈥?third baseman Justin Turner said of Machado. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it affected him.鈥滻t sure looked like it did. But then, hey, who knows, maybe Turner was distracted, too. The crowd reserved a little time for him as well. Going into the bottom of the fourth, the giant center field scoreboard focused on a bearded man in the stands hoisting a sign that read: 鈥淛ustin Turner Can鈥檛 Grow a Beard Like Me.鈥漈he crowd roared.Call it a prelude to Saturday night, and Game 7, as the Brewers try to snag what would be only the second World Series appearance in franchise history. Roll out the barrel Kirby Puckett Jersey , indeed. Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scotton Twitterand talk baseball. American League teams often have to do some significant lineup shuffling in World Series road games because National League rules don't include the designated hitter.As a result, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Coracould explore all of his options to try to field the best team in the upcoming championship round."I don't know, man," Cora said when asked if outfielder Mookie Betts would play second base during the Fall Classic to get J.D. Martinez, the team's DH, into the lineup, according to ESPN.com. "He already played second in the regular season. There's always a chance, I guess."Betts made one appearance at second during the regular season as an injury replacement for Ian Kinsler.Before that August 3 game, Betts had not played anywhere other than the outfield since his rookie season in 2014. He appeared in 14 contests at second base that year.The two-time Gold Gloveoutfielder has a career .956 fielding percentage at second, having committed three errors in 15 games.It's a dilemma for Cora. Putting Betts at the keystone would weaken the team's defense and could make him a liability in the field. With a playoff series on the line, defensive miscues can be the difference. You don't need to tell Red Sox fansthat.Then again, if Betts doesn't shift to the infield, Cora would either have to find a spot for Martinez or use him off the bench. Considering Martinez ranked first in the majors in RBI (130) and second in batting average (.330) and home runs (43), it would be tough to sit him.Boston is fortunate enough to have four outfielders worthy of starting in the World Series, but finding each of them at-bats will be a problem in the NL park. Neither Jackie Bradley Jr. nor Andrew Benintendi has played anywhere other than the outfield in the majors.The Red Sox skipper has time to ponder the situation, as the first two games of the best-of-seven series will take place at Fenway Park on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, against either the Milwaukee Brewers or Los Angeles Dodgers. The World Series will shift to the National League park Friday, Oct. 26, for three games.Cora's decision could be impacted by the opponent or how the first two contests play out. Regardless, it will be a storyline to keep an eye on.