Rotoworld MLB Daily Dose: Thursday 10/18/2018

[Download the Rotoworld App for the latest fantasy player news on the go]( [Rotoworld.com]( has all the tools you need to win your fantasy Baseball league. [Check out Rotoworld.com Season Pass]( To read this article on Rotoworld.com [click here]( [Player News]( | [Columns]( | [Injuries]( | [Transactions]( | [Depth Charts]( | [Scoreboard]( | [Tickets]( Postseason Dose: One Win Away - 10/18/2018 BY D.J. Short [NBC Sports Live]( LATEST FANTASY BASEBALL HEADLINES [- Kimbrel gets six shaky outs in Boston's win]( [- Kershaw fans nine as Dodgers take Game 5]( [- Chris Sale (illness) will not start Game 5]( [- MLB fines Machado for running into Aguilar]( [- Hernan Perez at 2B for MIL in NLCS Game 5]( [- Cody Bellinger at leadoff in Game 5 of NLCS]( [- Gregorius had Tommy John surgery on Wed.]( Follow [@djshort]( and [@Rotoworld_BB]( on Twitter. The Dodgers are one win away from their second straight trip to the World Series. [Clayton Kershaw]( fired seven innings of one-run ball on Wednesday in Los Angeles as the Dodgers topped the Brewers 5-2 to grab a 3-2 lead in the NLCS. One of the most pivotal moments of the game was in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Brewers had a 1-0 lead at the time. [Chris Taylor]( led off the frame with an infield single and advanced to second base on a throwing error from [Orlando Arcia](. [Brandon Woodruff]( struck out [Enrique Hernandez]( from there, which brought [Austin Barnes]( to the plate and [Yasiel Puig]( to the on-deck circle, potentially pulling Kershaw from the ballgame. Taylor would go on to steal third base and Barnes would deliver a single to tie things up. The clutch hit from Barnes enabled Dodgers manager [Dave Roberts]( to stick with Kershaw, who would set the set down the side in order in his final two frames. Meanwhile, the Dodgers scored twice in both the sixth and seventh innings to pull away. They didn’t exactly pound the ball, putting up seven singles and a pair of doubles in their nine hits on the night. While Puig was passed over for a pinch-hit appearance in the fifth, he eventually came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with an RBI single and a double. Kershaw gave up five runs — four earned — over three-plus innings in a loss back in Game 1, but he was in ace-form on Wednesday. The southpaw allowed just three hits in all while walking two and striking out nine. He induced a season-high 19 swinging strikes in his 98 pitches. His biggest test came in the third inning, as he labored while throwing 32 pitches, but he managed to strike out [Jesus Aguilar]( with the bases loaded to limit the damage to just one run. Kershaw wouldn’t allow another baserunner in the game. Let’s put the “Kershaw can’t pitch in the postseason” narrative to bed. The first inning was eventful, and not just because there were a couple of replay reviews. [Wade Miley]( made the “start” on short rest, but he ended up facing just one batter — a walk to [Cody Bellinger]( — before being pulled in favor of Woodruff. It turned out this was by design. Woodruff did a very respectable job, allowing three runs — two earned — over 5 1/3 innings while striking out eight and walking just one. As for Miley, he’s slated to start Friday with the series shifting back to Milwaukee for Game 6. For real this time. Really. With their offense sputtering, the Brewers have now lost back-to-back games for the first time since September 15-16. [Christian Yelich]( went 0-for-4 with a strikeout on Wednesday and is just 3-for-20 with three singles and no RBI in the series. Now the Brewers find themselves in must-win territory. Red Sox on the Verge After Wild Win As for the late game, it was jam-packed with action and controversy as the Red Sox beat the Astros 8-6. The victory gives Boston a 3-1 advantage in the ALCS, leaving them one win away from advancing to the World Series. The play everyone will be talking about coming out of this one was the home run that could have been. You’ve probably already seen it by now, but in case you haven’t, [Jose Altuve]( powered one to the opposite field in the bottom of the first inning against [Rick Porcello](. [Mookie Betts]( made his best effort at a leaping catch before his glove hit a fan’s hands and the ball landed in the right field seats. Chaos ensued, with the fans in Houston celebrating what they thought was a home run, but right field umpire Joe West signaled an out due to interference. West’s call was upheld after replay review. West’s call was a shocker to most. As great as Betts is, it’s quite an assumption to think that he was definitely going to make that catch. At the same time, it didn’t appear that the fan in question overtly reached into the field of play. However, interference was the call on the field and the replay official lacked definitive evidence to overturn West’s call. So the call stood. Still, that didn’t stop Houston from making a game of it. Both starting pitchers scuffled, with [Charlie Morton]( allowing three runs over 2 1/3 innings and Porcello yielding four runs in four innings. [George Springer]( hit another homer in the third inning while [Tony Kemp]( gave the Astros a 4-3 lead in the fourth with a solo shot just inside the right-field foul pole. The two sides would go back-and-forth from there before [Jackie Bradley](, Jr. slugged a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth. Boston wouldn’t look back, tacking on insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Red Sox manager [Alex Cora]( then turned to struggling closer [Craig Kimbrel]( for the six-out save. You know, because this game could use more drama. Kimbrel allowed a leadoff single to [Tony Kemp](, who was ultimately cut down trying to advance to second base. Boston’s closer still gave up a run in the eighth anyway, hitting [Alex Bregman]( with a pitch and giving up a double to [George Springer]( along the way, but he was able to escape without any further damage. The shakiness continued in the ninth, as Kimbrel walked the bases loaded with two outs before [Andrew Benintendi]( bailed him out with a do-or-die diving catch on a sinking line drive off the bat of Bregman. If Benintendi missed it, the Astros could very well have won the game. Instead, they now have their backs against the wall going into Game 5 on Thursday. After warming up in the eighth and ninth innings of Game 4, [David Price]( will get the call on short rest in Game 5 with [Chris Sale]( unavailable after his recent illness. [Justin Verlander]( will start for Houston with the season on the line. Quick Hits: [Manny Machado]( was reportedly fined $10,000 for stepping on [Jesus Aguilar]('s right leg at first following a routine groundout during Game 4 of the NLCS on Tuesday … [Didi Gregorius]( underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday … [Gio Gonzalez]( has been taken off the Brewers’ NLCS roster due to a high left ankle sprain, with [Zach Davies]( taking his place … Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that [Brad Ausmus](, [David Bell](, and [Joe Girardi]( remain in the mix for the Reds’ managerial vacancy … Cardinals right-hander [Alex Reyes]( (lat) is expected to begin a throwing program in about six or seven weeks … Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the Angels have formally interviewed [Brad Ausmus]( and [Eric Chavez]( in their search for their new manager and is “moving closer to a decision,” though it’s unclear who the frontrunner might be at the moment … [Seunghwan Oh]( told the Yonhap News Agency that he’s considering a return to the Korea Baseball Organization in 2019 … Young Braves right-hander [Mike Soroka]( (shoulder) faced live hitters twice during the Braves’ fall instructional league and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training … Rotoworld.com © 2018 You received this newsletter because you are a registered subscriber of Rotoworld.com's Daily Dose. 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