Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun (L) and Hernan Perez slap hands while celebrating a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in National Le...
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| Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun (L) and Hernan Perez slap hands while celebrating a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in National League Championship Series game six on Friday at Miller Park. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI |
By Connor Grott, UPI
The Milwaukee Brewers didn't allow any champagne showers to occur on Friday night in the visiting locker room of Miller Park, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 to force a deciding Game 7.
The Brewers' bullpen once again flashed its dominance in preserving an early 5-1 lead after two innings.
Milwaukee starting pitcher Wade Miley threw 4 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks before being pulled.
Corey Knebel, Jeremy Jeffress and Corbin Burnes, with the latter closing out the game in the ninth, combined for five strikeouts and didn't allow a single hit in relief of Miley.
Dodgers first baseman David Freese led off the game with a solo home run in the first inning to give Los Angeles its only lead of the night.
Milwaukee's bats responded with a four-run offensive explosion. Jesus Aguilar doubled to right, scoring Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first.
Brewers third baseman Mike Moustakas followed Aguilar's double with one of his own, boosting their lead to 3-1 after scoring Aguilar.
Milwaukee catcher Erik Kratz made it 4-1 after his RBI single scored Moustakas. Later in the bottom of the second inning, Braun doubled to deep right center to plate Christian Yelich.
Freese, who proved to be the only effective offensive weapon for the Dodgers on the night, doubled home Brian Dozier to cut Los Angeles' deficit to 5-2.
A wild pitch by Dodgers reliever Kenta Maeda allowed Aguilar to score in the bottom of the seventh. Aguilar finished his monster night with an RBI single to right in the eighth, icing the Brewers' 7-2 victory.
Knebel was credited with the win, his first of the postseason, and Jeffress earned his second hold of the playoffs.
Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was given the loss. He tossed three innings and gave up five earned runs on seven hits. Ryu had not allowed more than three earned runs in any start this season.
With the series tied at 3-3, the final game of the NLCS remains at Miller Park for a monumental Game 7 on Saturday night.
The Dodgers have won four consecutive win-or-go-home games on the road, but lost in last year's Game 7 of the World Series to the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.
Milwaukee will be playing in its first Game 7 since suffering a defeat to St. Louis in 1982, the team's lone World Series appearance.
The winner will meet the Boston Red Sox, who clinched a trip to the World Series after defeating the Astros in five games during the ALCS.
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