PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola finished off a stellar season in typically dominant fashion.Nola pitched seven shutout innings to help the Philadelphia Phillies snap a nine-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.In his final start of the year
Bert Blyleven Jersey , Nola (17-6) allowed two hits and struck out eight with four walks. The right-hander ended 2018 with a 2.37 ERA and 224 strikeouts in 212 1/3 innings. He likely will fall short of a NL Cy Young award after stumbling a bit in September. Nola entered 1-3 with a 4.60 ERA and nine home runs allowed in September before returning to the form his displayed for most of the season on Saturday.“It feels good,” Nola said, “but I think it feels better for us as a team.”Rather than focus on any particular statistic, Nola said he was happiest about staying healthy and making all of his starts. His aim every outing is a team goal.“Just try to win ballgames and try to go deep in ballgames,” he said.After taking a month off, Nola will begin tuning up for 2019.“Just stay consistent, keep working on my delivery and try to learn more and more about the game,” he said.Cesar Hernandez had a two-run single in the seventh inning to back Nola.The NL East champion Braves will play either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Colorado Rockies in the NLDS, and Atlanta still could host the series. The Braves (90-71) and Dodgers have the same record entering the regular-season finale on Sunday while Colorado entered Saturday with a 90-70 mark.Atlanta had no answer for Nola.“You just try to keep it close and hopefully his clicker will run out,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We just couldn’t get anything going.”Nola allowed only Ronald Acuna Jr.’s single to lead off the game and Nick Markakis’ single to start the fourth. The closest the Braves came to scoring was in the second inning when Nola walked the first two batters. But the right-hander got Kurt Suzuki to line out, struck out Ozzie Albies and then intentionally walked Charlie Culberson to load the bases before finally striking out starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez.Sanchez matched Nola
http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-o_neill-jersey , giving up three hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in six shutout innings.“He did everything he could do to get us a chance,” Snitker said.With one out and two runners on in the seventh, manager Gabe Kapler chose to pinch-hit for Nola. Jonny Venters (5-2) intentionally walked pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos to load the bases before Hernandez hit a sharp liner under shortstop Culberson’s glove into left field that scored two. Odubel Herrera helped the Phillies take a 3-0 lead when he beat out a potential double-play grounder to short.Seranthony Dominguez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 15th save in 19 chances.The victory was Philadelphia’s first since Sept. 19. The Phillies’ slide started with a four-game sweep at Atlanta last weekend when they still were mathematically alive in the playoff race. The Phillies were outscored 70-21 during the losing streak that capped a late-season collapse. Philadelphia went from 15 games over .500 and 1 ½ games in front of Atlanta for first place on Aug. 7 to four games under .500 and 12 games back of the Braves on Sept. 28.NOLA NUMBERSNola joined Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander as the only Phillies pitchers to strike out 200 or more batters and hold opponents to a batting average of .200 or lower. And the right-hander is the fourth Philadelphia hurler to record 224 or more strikeouts in a season, joining Jim Bunning, Alexander and Curt Schilling.MARKAKIS’ MILESTONEMarkakis played in his 2,000th game, becoming the fifth active player to reach the milestone. Adrian Beltre (2,931), Albert Pujols (2,692), Miguel Cabrera (2
Jacoby Ellsbury Jersey ,264) and Robinson Cano (2,077) are the active players ahead of Markakis.TRAINER’S ROOMPhillies: C Jorge Alfaro (quad) was replaced by Andrew Knapp at the start of the third inning.UP NEXTBraves RHP Kevin Gausman (10-10, 3.93) opposes Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (1-1, 6.00) on Sunday afternoon in the regular-season finale. The Los Angeles Dodgers are within one victory of returning to the World Series.Thanks in no small part to seven innings of one-run, nine-strikeout ball from Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers claimed their first advantage of the National League Championship Series with a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.The Brewers head home with their 2018 season at stake and their hopes relying on an unlikely Game 6 starter鈥擶ade Miley, the same pitcher on the hill at the start of Game 5. After Miley walked Cody Bellinger to open the bottom of the first, Brewers skipper Craig Counsell trotted out, signaled to the bullpen and made a pitching change.As The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported, the rapid hook on Miley was scripted, as is his upcoming start:Ken Rosenthal Ken_RosenthalRemoving Miley was Brewers鈥?plan. He will start Game 6.Miley will now be the first pitcher in almost 90 years to start consecutive games in a playoff series:Stats By STATS StatsBySTATSThe last pitcher to start back-to-back team games in the same #postseason series was George Earnshaw in the 1930 World Series.After tossing 7 shutout innings in Game 5
http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-don-mattingly-jersey , Earnshaw pitched a complete game two days later, allowing one run to win Game 6 and the series. KCuX9U0z2tInteresting strategizing aside, the Brewers are now backed against the ropes with a struggling offense (three runs in the past two games) and zero margin for error. 2018 NLCS Remaining ScheduleGame 6:Dodgers at Brewers; Friday, Oct. 19 at 8:39p.m. ET on FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports GO)*Game 7:Dodgers at Brewers; Saturday, Oct. 20 at 9:09p.m. ET on FS1 (Live Stream: Fox Sports GO)*If necessary Updated World Series Odds (per OddsShark)Los Angeles Dodgers: 11-4Milwaukee Brewers: 93-20 The Dodgers have now gone three games without a home run, which might not be notable for some teams but does stand out for the one that paced the NL (and ranked second overall) with 235 blasts. Finding ways to win without the long ball鈥攕even singles, two doubles and three stolen bases in Game 5鈥攃ould prove invaluable if their power outage continues."It just shows you've got to grind 'em out to win a game," Joc Pederson said. "We did a lot of things well and we came up with the hits today that we haven't in the past."MLB MLBHit it where they ain鈥檛.Max Muncy gives the Dodgers the lead. #NLCS O79ls3CwrqL.A. had been scuffling a bit of late.It totaled just two runs over Games 3 and 4, its lowest two-game output since the first week of August. Considering Milwaukee didn't utilize its best bullpen arms in Game 5鈥擩osh Hader, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress鈥攁nd has its rotation ERA leader on the bump for Game 6, the Dodgers can only hope either their timely hitting continues or their balls get back to leaving the yard.The Brewers
Aroldis Chapman Jersey , meanwhile, are counting on their best bats to come alive before it's too late. NL MVP favorite Christian Yelich has three hits鈥攏one for extra bases鈥攊n this series. Lorenzo Cain went hitless in Games 3 and 4. Mike Moustakas is 2-for-21 this round. Jesus Aguilar hasn't had a multi-hit game in these playoffs."I'm just not getting it done," Yelich said. "I'm having opportunities, getting pitches to hit. I'm just missing them. I'm not executing. I've got to figure it out."Harry How/Getty ImagesBased on what we've seen this season, one might assume it's only a matter of time before the Dodgers start blasting off again. A trip to Miller Park might be exactly what the hitting doctors have ordered.So, can Miley and Milwaukee relievers prevent that onslaught from ever coming? Can a potent-in-its-own-right Brewers lineup鈥攆ourth overall in home runs鈥攑rovide enough fireworks to take the pressure off the pitchers?We'll get those answers soon enough.What we know right now is the Brewers aren't in a great place, but they're far from being dead in the water.As JR Radcliffe wrote for theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel, teams trailing 3-2 in a best-of-seven league championship series or World Series have won just 10 of the 39 series (25.6 percent)in the wild-card era. But the success rate jumps considerably when those teams are on their home field (eight out of 19, 42.1 percent).These are all just numbers, of course, and mean nothing for what lies ahead. But for any antsy fans of the Brew Crew
Didi Gregorius Jersey , there might be some slight reassurance in knowing that multiple teams have escaped this same situation before.That said, history remains on the Dodgers' side鈥攁nd so does the stat sheet. They scored more runs (804 to 754), pitched to a lower ERA (3.38 to 3.73) and posted a far superior run-differential (plus-194 to plus-95) in the regular season.This is probably L.A.'s series to lose. But it's also October baseball, so anything can happen.Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy ofESPN.comandBaseball-Reference.com.