ase scenario for the former Dodger closers return. ... Los Angeles pitching coach Rick | Forum

(SportsNetwork. Carl Soderberg Jersey .com) - The Boston Red Sox are on the cusp of their first World Series appearance since 2007. To get there, though, they may have to get past the best pitcher in the American League this season. Max Scherzer will try to keep the Red Soxs champagne on ice and extend the Detroit Tigers season on Saturday, as the American League Championship Series shifts back to Fenway Park for Game 6. Scherzer could be on his way to an AL Cy Young Award after going 21-3 this year with a 2.90 ERA. Its been more of the same for him in the postseason, as he has won twice and has pitched to a 2.25 ERA in three appearances. "You just go out there and pitch your game," Scherzer said. "Baseball is still the same, sixty feet and six inches (from the mound to home plate), and you have to throw strikes. The expectations and pressure doesnt mean you change. "Thats something thats always been instilled in me, and doesnt matter what the situation or what the game means, Im always going to approach the game the same way." Scherzer was terrific in Game 2 against the Red Sox, as he limited them to a run, two hits and struck out 13 over seven innings. However, after exiting with a four-run lead, he had to watch the beleaguered Tigers bullpen implode in a 6-5 loss. "I told them I was done," Scherzer said after that one. "They wanted me done. They had it all lined up how they wanted to approach the eighth inning." Now Scherzer will be tasked with staving off elimination for the Tigers, who dropped two of three at home to the Red Sox, including Thursdays pivotal Game 5 contest at Comerica Park. Mike Napoli had three hits, including a home run, and scored twice and the Red Sox reached Anibal Sanchez for four runs, then held on for a 4-3 win. Boston managed nine hits off of Sanchez after not getting one off of him in six innings in Game 1. In fact, the Red Sox had tallied just 14 hits and three runs off Detroit starters through the first four games combined. Jon Lester (1-1), who lost Game 1, was charged with two runs in 5 1/3 innings to get the win, as he gave up seven hits, three walks and struck out three. Red Sox closer Koji Uehara continued to impress, as he retired every batter he faced in a five-out save, his first since Sept. 20. "Maybe its the same five outs numbers-wise, but it was completely different because it was the playoffs," said Uehara, who has pitched five scoreless innings this series. Miguel Cabrera had an RBI single for Detroit but was thrown out at home in the first inning and grounded into a double play in the seventh that scored a run but killed a potential rally. "We were fortunate we got a couple of ground-ball double plays ... none bigger than the first and third with nobody out to Miggy," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. Prince Fielders drought continued for the Tigers, as the first baseman has now gone 17 straight postseason games without an RBI. "We have to go to Fenway and we have to fight hard enough to win a game," said Cabrera. "If we do that, we have to keep fighting and get the next one. Weve done this before, and weve got great pitchers." To make matters worse for the Tigers, they lost catcher Alex Avila with what the team said was a left knee patellar tendon strain. Avila was hurt in a collision at the plate with Red Sox catcher David Ross in the second inning and was taken out after four. There have been four one-run games in the series, which already matches the ALCS record, set by the Orioles and Indians in 1997. "I just think thats playoffs," said Boston outfielder Jonny Gomes. "Especially the Sox and Tigers. Thats about as even as it gets right there." Hoping for a little more of a cushion on Saturday will be Boston righty Clay Buchholz, who was 12-1 during the season with a 1.74 ERA, but has pitched to a 6.17 ERA in two starts this postseason. Buchholz was spared a loss in his Game 2 assignment, but was not sharp, as he allowed five runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Of course, David Ortiz got him off the hook with a game-tying grand slam, as the Red Sox rallied from five runs down in a 6-5 win. "There were a couple of innings I let the ball get out of the zone and they hit it out of the park," Buchholz said. "I need to minimize the damage a little bit better. Both video and talking to whoever it is on the staff, you can sort of pick each others brain and see what I was feeling, what I could have done differently and how to get better from it." Recent history is not in the Red Sox favor, as the last four series that have featured a 3-2 lead, the team losing Game 5 has gone on to win the ALCS. If necessary, Game 7 will be on Sunday. Teemu Selanne Avalanche Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Adam Foote Avalanche Jersey . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.hockeyavalancheshop.us/Rene-Robert-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. LOS ANGELES -- Skip Schumakers first career home run at Dodger Stadium couldnt have come at a more opportune time, especially now that hes playing for the home team. Schumaker hit a tiebreaking two-run shot off longtime NL West rival Bronson Arroyo while filling in for the ailing Carl Crawford, Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up two hits over seven innings and retired his last 13 batters, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 Saturday night. "I grew up in L.A. going to Dodger games, so Ive always thought about hitting a home run in Dodger Stadium -- and actually doing it is pretty incredible," Schumaker said. "Its kind of a surreal feeling. I get lucky every now and then. Every 200 at-bats or so, I run into one." Ryu (9-3) had nine strikeouts, all in a span of 13 batters. The first came against Joey Votto, who took a called third strike after Chris Heisey hit his first triple of the season with two out in the third. Cincinnatis run came on a homer by Jay Bruce in the second. The Dodgers increased their NL West lead to 1 1/2 games over Arizona. Ryu faced South Korean countryman Shin-Soo Choo for the first time in the major leagues. The Reds centre fielder walked, grounded out to first base and struck out. "Im sure Choo was on his mind," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "I mean, its a big deal. Choo is one of his best friends and one of his baseball idols. So with him facing him in America in an atmosphere like this, and also playing in front of a huge TV audience back in Korea, its pretty neat to know youre a part of that. It was really cool to see those guys match up. You could hear the crowd on every pitch and every swing." Kenley Jansen got the last three outs for his 14th save. Crawford, who singled his first three times up in the Dodgers 2-1 victory Friday night and then made a brief visit to an emergency room on Saturday to get checked on for a high temperature and fever, was held out of the lineup. Manager Don Mattingly replaced him with Schumaker, who came in with more plate appearances (53) and hits (18) against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo than anyone else on Los Angeles roster. "Its a good feeling when you have a situation like today where Carl wasnt able to play and Skip can step in and be a more than capable guy," Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. "Hes a great veteran who battles every at-bat. Thats what this team is built upon -- experience on the bench, experience on the field. And hopefully well take that all the way through." Schumaker came through in the fifth, driving Arroyos 1-0 pitch to centre field for his second home run of the season and a 3-1 Dodgers lead after a leadoff single by Mark Ellis. "If you look at the numbers, it says I have some hits off him. But a lot of those were bloop hits, lucky hits, and not too many were squared up," said Schumaker, who also doubled in the seventh inning and scored the Dodgers fourth run on aa two-out single by Gonzalez. Semyon Varlamov Avalanche Jersey. It was the 300th home run given up Arroyo (9-8), including a career-high and major league-worst 46 in 2011. The 14-year veteran right-hander was charged with three runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings, after going 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA in his previous six starts against Los Angeles. He was coming off a complete-game 11-0 victory at San Francisco on Monday. The Dodgers got a run in the first on a two-out double by Hanley Ramirez after Yasiel Puig walked, advanced on a flyout and stole third without a throw. But the Reds tied it in the second when Bruce drove Ryus 2-0 pitch into the right field pavilion for his 22nd home run. Since the start of the 2010 season, Bruce leads all left-handed batters with 42 homer against lefty pitchers -- including eight this season. "I think its helped him being around Joey Votto, and seeing how Joey hits lefties," manager Dusty Baker said. "Most guys, I think, have trouble with lefties because they dont see them (enough). I mean, its hard enough to find a right-handed batting practice pitcher that can throw strikes -- and its almost impossible to find a lefty to do it. But weve got two of them -- Mark Berry and Ronnie Ortegon. And we always travel with one, so I think that helps a lot. "Thats something that Barry Bonds always did in San Francisco," added Baker, who watched Bonds homer 125 times against lefties during the 10 seasons he managed baseballs career home run leader. "We always had a left-hander throwing to Barry in batting practice. So I took a page out of Barrys book, and Id like to give Barry credit for that." Bruce, the Reds right fielder, also threw out Puig at first base in the fifth after the overaggressive rookie made a wide turn on his single toward the line. The play immediately followed Schumakers homer. It was the hustle by catcher Devin Mesoraco that made it possible, because he ran up the line and took the throw. In Thursday nights series opener, Puig made a similar wide turn around first on a single to centre and ended up at third base after Choo threw the ball past first baseman Votto and the ball ended up in the stands for a two-base error. NOTES: Ryu is 5-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 10 home starts. The Dodgers have won each of his last six outings, including three no-decisions. ... Arroyo has given up a franchise-record 238 home runs since joining the Reds in a March 2006 trade from Boston for Wily Mo Pena. ... Reds RHP Jonathan Broxton, on the disabled list since June 15 with an elbow strain, threw 20 pitches during early batting practice. Baker was noncommittal when asked about the best-case scenario for the former Dodger closers return. ... Los Angeles pitching coach Rick Honeycutt rejoined the club after missing four games because of the death of his mother-in-law. ... Vottos consecutive game on-base streak ended at 38 after he went 0 for 3. That left Ramirez with the longest active streak in the majors at 35. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '