After losing Game Six due to a rocky first inning and a variety of missed opportunities, the Dodgers will face the Brewers in a decisive Game Seven on Saturday.
Hyun-Jin Ryu was poised for the biggest game of his career. He stepped on the mound not with a want, but with a need, to send the Dodgers to their second World Series in as many years. David Freese, renowned postseason hero, led off the game with a home run to give the Dodgers an early lead. A powerful Milwaukee offense tied the game and then erased the Dodgers’ lead entirely. They added on as the game continued, and would go on to win it, simultaneously forcing a decisive game seven on Saturday.
The winner gets Boston.
After a hard fought series, the entire season of these two teams will come down to one game. Both teams have wildly recent experience with one-game playoffs, as they each played in one for their respective divisions less than three weeks ago.
Friday, however, was the Dodgers’ chance to avoid a game seven and hop on a flight that would take them to LA, briefly, and then onto Boston. Now, they have to deploy every weapon in their arsenal to overpower the Brewers if they want to keep their World Series hopes alive.
The Brewers, on the other hand, hope to play the same exact baseball they did on Friday, and allow their offense to swing for the fences or, based on what we saw in game six, swing for center for an RBI double.
Let’s break down game seven.
STARTING PITCHING:
Walker Buehler vs. Jhoulys Chacín
Buehler had a bit of a rough outing his last time on the mound but managed to go six innings, while Chacín pitched incredibly well against a strong Dodgers lineup.
OFFENSIVE THREATS:
Friday, the Brewers’ offense shined and gave them a win in the season’s most important game. Now, they have to do it again if they want to win game seven, and so does the Dodgers’ offense. They need to do what they’ve been doing all season, hit homers, against a roster of Brewers pitchers that have been as strong as ever.
Here’s who to watch as both teams battle for the National League pennant.
BREWERS:
Christian Yelich: He’s the likely NL MVP and is capable of hitting it out every single time he steps up to the plate. He’s having the best season of his career and has become a leader on this team. He’s elite, and that’s not an easy thing to be.
Jesús Aguilar: Aguilar had one of the biggest hits in Friday’s matchup, an RBI double in the first, and looks to continue his offensive dominance against the Dodgers’ pitching staff on Saturday.
Lorenzo Cain: Like Yelich, Cain was a new addition to this Brewers team this past offseason. Since then, he’s been playing some great baseball, to the tune of a .308 batting average.
DODGERS:
Justin Turner: This guy is always a threat at the plate. He’s one of the best to ever play in the postseason. His postseason on-base percentage is one of the best in history, and he stands right up there with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in regards to that stat. He’s the guy the Dodgers need in October, let’s see if he can help them continue on in the playoffs.
Max Muncy: Muncy has been one of the best players in the national league all season long and the Dodgers have been better for it. Muncy takes his walks and can hit the ball far into the outfield seats.
Manny Machado: Machado has sparked some controversy this series with his run-in with Jesus Agúilar in Game 3. Brewers fans boo-ed him all throughout the game on Friday, and the Dodgers’ shortstop was even fined for the incident. That aside, he is still Manny Machado. He is still the player the Dodgers gave up five prospects for during the All-Star Break and is still perfectly capable of getting the Dodgers exactly where they want to be.
No Limits on Pitching in Game 7:
Game 7, the best and most nervewracking thing in baseball. They provide us with a lot of big moments (2003 ALCS, anyone?) and can change the course of history forever. So, with stakes that high, there are rarely limits on pitching. Clayton Kershaw is available for the Dodgers, per Jon Tayler of SI.com, and Kenley Jansen is sure to be ready to close the game out if a save situation presents itself. The only arm in Roberts’ pen that probably won’t be available is Rich Hill, who pitched an inning on Friday night.
Josh Hader, the strongest pitcher in the Brew Crew’s pen, did not pitch Friday, making him more than ready for a multi-inning outing if that is what Craig Counsell decides to do.
This is game seven; it’s win or go home. It’s going to be nerve-wracking, beautiful, and poetic, no matter who you’re rooting for. So get ready, this is what the postseason is all about.