German_Force » RHP Tommy Kahnle was recalled

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Braun slid across home plate and raised his arms in sheer joy.A big lead Ryon Healy Jersey , a bruising bullpen and a boisterous crowd have the Milwaukee Brewers all set up for Game 7.Jesus Aguilar sparked Milwaukee’s slumping lineup with three RBIs on a pair of two-out hits, and the Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 on Friday night to even the NL Championship Series at three games each.“I don’t think about me. The most important thing, at the end of the day, is win games,” said Aguilar, who had driven in just two runs in the playoffs. “Tomorrow it can be somebody else. Tonight, it was me.”Game 7 is Saturday night in front of the same frenzied crowd that booed Manny Machado vociferously after he tangled with Aguilar while the series was in Los Angeles. Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler faces journeyman Jhoulys Chacin, with well-rested relief ace Josh Hader looming in the bullpen for Milwaukee after a surprise day off.It’s the first Game 7 for the Brewers since losing to St. Louis in 1982 in their only World Series appearance. The Dodgers dropped Game 7 of the World Series last year to Houston.“Got to get them tomorrow. We got one more game,” Machado said. “They played good baseball today. So, we just got to play a better one tomorrow.”David Freese led off this Game 6 with a home run that quieted Miller Park — but just for a moment.Backed by raucous fans waving yellow towels that read “ONE TOUGH CREW,” Milwaukee rebounded from consecutive losses at Dodger Stadium with the same formula it used to win the NL Central during a breakout season.Some timely hitting by Aguilar and company produced an early lead, and Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress led the way in another shutdown performance by Milwaukee’s tough bullpen.“Anybody, anywhere http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authentic-dee-gordon-jersey , anytime,” Knebel said. “We’re ready to go.”Los Angeles was looking for its second straight NL pennant and some time to prepare for the mighty Boston Red Sox in the World Series. But losing pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was tagged for four runs in the first inning, two on a double by Aguilar that sent Braun sliding home.After Wade Miley pitched into the fifth inning in his second straight start — he faced only one batter in Game 5 — Knebel, Jeffress and Corbin Burnes closed it out with hitless relief. Knebel got the win and Burnes retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth, setting off a wild celebration for the crowd of 43,619.Manager Craig Counsell considered bringing in Hader, especially in the eighth, but Aguilar scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and singled in Lorenzo Cain in the eighth. The extra room helped persuade Counsell to give Hader another day of rest. The rocket-armed reliever hasn’t pitched since Tuesday in Game 4.“Best-case scenario for sure for us,” Counsell said.Freese drove in both runs for the Dodgers. The rest of the Los Angeles lineup managed just three measly singles. Hounded by boos all night long, Machado went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.“You know what? I’m focused on the game,” Machado said. “Try to go pitch by pitch, drive in runs. Do what we got to do on the field. We didn’t execute today.”The 35-year-old Freese was a surprise choice for leadoff hitter by Dave Roberts, and he made his manager look quite good when he started the game with a drive to right-center for his ninth career postseason homer.Freese also connected in the first inning of the previous NLCS Game 6 in Milwaukee Robinson Cano Jersey , helping the Cardinals win the pennant in 2011. It was just his fourth time in the leadoff spot in his 10 years in the majors.But the Brewers put together a quick response that set the tone for the rest of the night. With runners on first and second in the bottom half of the first, Aguilar lined an opposite-field double into the corner in right.Mike Moustakas followed with another RBI double and scored on Erik Kratz’s single to make it 4-1. The Brewers managed just three runs in the previous two games in Los Angeles.“It was huge to be able to answer back in the first inning after the homer,” Moustakas said. “One would have been great, two would have been awesome. To put up four right there just gives us a lot of confidence.”Christian Yelich and Braun combined for another run with consecutive doubles in the second, and then it became a question of strategy for Roberts and Counsell with Game 7 on deck.Roberts used starting pitcher Rich Hill in the eighth after Kenta Maeda struggled, staying away from key reliever Pedro Baez and closer Kenley Jansen. Counsell stayed with Knebel for five outs, giving him his first pro plate appearance with the bases loaded in the fifth — he struck out — and Burnes worked two perfect innings.“There’s the thought of trying to go to your ‘pen in the first inning or the second inning, but there’s a significant cost potentially for a potential Game 7,” Roberts said. “So I just felt that we needed to get some more innings out of Hyun-Jin to keep our highest leverage guys available for a potential Game 7.” NEW YORK (AP) — As he jogged from the bullpen, Tampa Bay rookie left-hander Adam Kolarek reminded himself that he’s pitched out of bases-loaded, no-out situations before.In the minors, at least.“It just hasn’t been at this level,” he said. “And certainly not in a stadium like Yankee Stadium.”Or in the majors Felix Hernandez Jersey , period.Kolarek escaped a critical jam in the ninth inning Thursday for his first career save, lifting the Rays over New York 3-1 to win their first series at Yankee Stadium since 2014. Tampa Bay had lost 12 straight series in the Bronx, a record since the ballpark opened in 2009.“This can be an intimidating, daunting place to play,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “But I don’t think these guys really concern themselves with that too much.”Kolarek got his moment in the Bronx spotlight after Sergio Romo struggled in the ninth. Romo allowed consecutive singles to Didi Gregorius and Gleyber Torres — Torres’ bloop ended his 0-for-17 skid — then walked Neil Walker on four pitches.Cash then called for the side-arming Kolarek. Lefty-hitting Greg Bird popped out in foul territory on his first pitch, and then the 29-year-old Kolarek — who entered with a 6.00 ERA — struck out veterans Brett Gardner and Austin Romine. Romine chased a high fastball clocked at 95 mph.It was the first time Kolarek had faced bases loaded with no outs in his big league career. He escaped in nine pitches.“Getting Bird out on that first pitch was huge,” Kolarek said. “Because once you get one out, you’re like, ‘OK, I’m one pitch away.’ To get the strikeouts was just a little bit more special.”The struggling Yankees lineup, still without injured sluggers Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, scored just six runs during the three-game series.“We have people more than capable of putting runs on the board,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You obviously take two star-level players out Hisashi Iwakuma Jersey , that’s certainly a big deal.”Tommy Pham returned from the disabled list and helped the Rays jump on Masahiro Tanaka (9-3) with an RBI double during a two-run first inning, and Blake Snell (14-5) and the bullpen took over from there.The left-handed All-Star made his third start since a DL stint for left shoulder fatigue and struck out six over five innings of two-hit ball. He was coming off five perfect innings against Toronto, though he was pulled from that start after just 47 pitches. He threw 76 pitches Thursday.The Rays got to Tanaka with four straight hits to open the game. Mallex Smith lined a single the other way, stole second, then scored on Joey Wendle’s double to the right-center gap. After Jake Bauers’ single, Pham got his first hit with the Rays, driving a double off the wall in the left-field corner.Pham was placed on the DL by Tampa Bay with a broken right foot two games after being acquired from St. Louis on July 31 for a trio of minor leaguers. Pham played one minor league rehab game, homering and getting three hits for Class A Hudson Valley on Wednesday night. He pleaded with Cash to get in the lineup and play his first career game at Yankee Stadium.Pham added a single in the third, then hit a drive to the warning track in left-center that was caught by center fielder Aaron Hicks leading off the sixth.Tanaka recovered after his shaky first, pitching scoreless ball for the next five innings before handing off to Zach Britton. Tanaka allowed nine hits, struck out six and also picked off a pair of baserunners.Bauers squeezed home Smith against David Robertson in the eighth. Bauers’ bunt hugged the first-base line and gave Robertson no chance at a play at the plate.Smith had two hits from the leadoff spot. He entered the game batting .353 with a .450 on-base percentage since being moved atop the order Aug. 5.WATCH IT AGAINGiancarlo Stanton hit a ball in the eighth off the wall in the right-field corner that was originally ruled a home run by first base umpire Greg Gibson, but overturned to an RBI double after a video review . The ball hit about halfway up the wall, right on the foul stripe Ken Griffey Jersey , and was nearly touched by a fan.“Originally Greg thought it was a home run and then he said, ‘I think it was foul because it hit the wall in foul,” crew chief Jerry Layne told a pool reporter. “He goes, ‘I’m trying to get some help here.’ So he didn’t clearly see it. We weren’t a 100 percent.”PUNCHING UPThe Rays improved to 8-2 in their past 10 against New York and 8-7 overall this season. Tampa Bay hasn’t won the season series since 2014. The teams still have a four-game set at Tropicana Field in late September.R-E-S-P-E-C-TThe first thing Judge did after arriving at Yankee Stadium was put Aretha Franklin on the clubhouse sound system, starting with her version of “I Say A Little Prayer.” The Queen of Soul died Thursday at the age of 76. Judge said his mom was a fan of Franklin’s, and he heard a lot of her music around the house as a kid.“Good music,” he said. “Perfect for a day game.”The Yankees played Franklin’s iconic performance from the movie “Blues Brothers” on the video board during the sixth inning.TRAINER’S ROOMRays: RHP Jake Faria was optioned to Triple-A Durham to make room for Pham.Yankees: Hicks was visited by a trainer after reaching on an error in the eighth. He remained in the game. Hicks turned his right ankle slightly on first base but thinks he’ll be fine. … Sanchez did sprints and worked on popping out of the squat in the outfield before the game. It was the first outdoor running for Sanchez since going on the disabled list July 24 with a strained right groin. Sanchez could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. … Boone is hopeful that LHP CC Sabathia (right knee) will return from the DL to start the next time through the rotation. … RHP Tommy Kahnle was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the spot vacated when RHP Luis Cessa was optioned to the RailRiders on Wednesday night. Kahnle pitched a scoreless inning.UP NEXTRays: RHP Stanek (1-3, 2.45) is the scheduled opener against Boston LHP Brian Johnson (3-3, 3.95) at Fenway Park on Friday night.Yankees: RHP Lance Lynn (8-8, 4.46) faces Toronto RHP Marcus Stroman (4-8, 5.03) on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Lynn has a 0.54 ERA in three appearances (two starts) since being acquired from Minnesota.