Darren Daulton Jersey

Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from the World Series after their 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5.The Brewers tried some trickery at the start of Wednesday's game with starter Wade Miley only facing one batter Darren Daulton Jersey , but it didn't matter against Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers starterbounced back from a rough Game 1 outing to allow only one run allowed in seven innings.Yasiel Puig went 2-for-2 off the bench, including a clutch RBI single in the sixth inning, to help Los Angeles build a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series.Craig Counsell's Gamble Gave Brewers Best Chance to Win SeriesWade Miley was the listed starter in Wednesday's game and pitched to the first batter, but that was the end of his night. Brewer manager Craig Counsell pulled Miley in place of Brandon Woodruff, who took over and struck out eight batters in 5.1 inningswhile allowing three runs (two earned).AsKen Rosenthalof Fox Sports noted, this switch was the team's plan all along. Miley will instead pitch Game 6.The move was surprising, but there were several good reasons behind it:Ryan Rosenblatt RyanRosenblattDid the Brewers try to bait the the Dodgers into a righty-heavy lineup and Roberts called their bluff?This series is so smart it鈥檚 dumb.Bill Barnwell billbarnwellPut Craig Counsell in the Hall of Fame for rope-a-doping the DodgersMike Petriello mike_petrielloThis might be a good idea and it might not be, but remember, the alternative here was Wade Miley on short rest. You got to screw with the Dodgers by misleading them about who was starting, and you dont actually have to have Wade Miley on short rest. Well, yeah. Why notLos Angeles didn't go as righty-heavy against the left-handed Miley as it did in Game 1 http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-maikel-franco-jersey , but David Freese was still in the No. 3 spot in the lineup and was pulled after only one at-bat.Perhaps more importantly, the Brewers' rotation was not lined up well going forward. Not only was Miley starting on three days of rest, butJhoulys Chacin also would have had to go on short rest in Game 6.With the team's lack of starting pitching depth, Game 7 would have been a complete mystery.Suddenly, the Brewers have their top two starters available on full rest in the next two games if needed, both of which will be at home.Meanwhile, this was more than just punting one game to get an advantage in the others. Woodruff had been one of the team's best pitchers down the stretch, and he put forth an excellent performance Wednesday.His 5.1 innings were his longest outing of the season.Though things went south the third time through the order, Woodruff gave the Brewers a chance to win and helped prove Counsell right, despite the loss. Clayton Kershaw Still Has More to Prove Before Changing Playoff NarrativeIt's almost undeniable that Kershaw has been the best pitcher in baseball over the past decade. The problem is his reputation has been held back due to his struggles in the playoffs.He has a career 2.39 ERA in the regular season, but he entered Wednesday with a 4.26 mark in the playoffs. That included a 5.24 ERA in 11 appearances in the NLCS.Kershaw did everything he could to show he was past his struggles Wednesday Tim McCarver Jersey , going seven innings with only one run allowed on three hits. He also struck out nine batters while walking only two.Andy McCullough McCulloughTimesSeven innings of one-run baseball from Clayton Kershaw. Fresh off the worst postseason start of his career, this is one of his best.He was aggressive with his curveball, which was especially impressive:Bleacher Report MLB BR_MLBThat was nasty, Kershaw 馃敟 AFSdoQBYDYAs we have seen so many times throughout his MLB career, Kershaw was the biggest reason the Dodgers came away with a win.On the other hand, we have also seen him pitch well in the playoffs before, including when he shut down the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of this year's NLDS. The postseason monkey seemed to be off his back, but then he failed to get past the fourth inning in Game 1 of this series.Last year, he followed up a gem in Game 1 of the World Series with a dud in Game 5.When Kershaw is at his best, there is no one better in the game, but the Dodgers need him to be at least close to his best every time out when the stakes are this high. Failing to get out of the fifth inning won't get it done.As well as he pitched against the Brewers on Wednesday Pete Rose Jersey , one game in the NLCS will not define his legacy. If the Dodgers advance to World Series, Kershaw will need to produce more quality starts to change his negative playoff narrative. Brewers Won't Reach World Series Unless Christian Yelich Wakes UpHarry How/Getty ImagesChristian Yelich is the favorite to win MVP of the National League, and he is one of the biggest reasons the Brewers are still alive in the playoffs. However, he hasn't looked like himself so far this series.The outfielder finished 0-for-4 in Game 5 with one strikeout, which is the first time he failed to reach base so far this postseason.Although he had been drawing some walks prior to Wednesday, he is now hitting .150 in five games this series with only three singles.His last extra-base hit came in Game 1 of the NLDS when he hit a home run against the Colorado Rockies. Since then, he is just 3-of-25 at the plate in seven games.No one was hotter than Yelich in the second half of the season, and he was especially dominant in the final week. While the Brewers were closing the regular season with eight straight wins, the outfielder had a .458 batting average and an outrageous 1.857 OPS.It's impossible for someone to stay that hot forever, but the Brewers weren't expecting him to go so cold this quickly.While Milwaukee has other quality hitters on the roster, its offense has been nonexistent over the past two games. The Brewers' season may end Friday unless Yelich turns things around in a hurry. What's Next?The series now returns to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday. Wade Miley will likely make a real start for the Brewers http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-dave-hollins-jersey , while Hyun-Jin Ryu will be available for the Dodgers. The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly the leaders in the clubhouse to land Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado in a trade.Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com reported the news, noting Philadelphia's willingness to include pitcher Adonis Medina has tipped the scales in its favor as the "most likely destination." However, Morosi pointed out the Orioles want to hold off on any trades until after Machado represents their team in Tuesday's All-Star Game and that a counteroffer from theMilwaukee BrewersorLos Angeles Dodgerscould prevent the Phillies from landing him.According toMLB.com, the right-handed Medina is the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies' system behind pitcher Sixto Sanchez. The scouting report on Medina pointed to his ability to induce ground balls with a formidable fastball, which complements improving secondary pitches.Morosi clarified Philadelphia has "resisted" including Sanchez in any Machado offers but explained giving up a pitcher of Medina's quality is easier for it than it would be for other teams because it has an abundance of young pitching, with seven starters this season 26 years old or younger.The Phillies also have a golden opportunity to seize control of the National League East with a player such as Machado aboard considering they hold a half-game lead over the Atlanta Braves and 5.5-game lead over the Washington Nationals even with shortstops J.P. Crawford (.194 batting average) and Scott Kingery (.237 batting average) struggling.That need to bolster production at shortstop makes giving up quality pieces for a potential rental鈥擬achado is set for unrestricted free agency after the season鈥攅asier to handle.From Machado's perspective, he has no interest in seeing these trade rumors extend to the July 31 non-waiver deadline and toldScott Lauberof thePhiladelphia Inquirer, "Just get it over with already, go on and not answer these questions no more."Machado made his fourth career All-Star Game this season behind some head-turning offensive production. He is slashing .315/.387/.575 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI, numbers that would look great for the Phillies alongside the production of Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins.