managers believe

Pool/Getty ImagesThe Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers Anthony DeSclafani Jersey , 7-2, on Friday to even the National League Championship Series at three games apiece. Milwaukee will now host L.A. on Saturday at 8:09 p.m. ET in a winner-take-all matchup for the NL pennant. The winner kicks off the World Series on Tuesday at 8:09 p.m. in a road tilt with the Boston Red Sox.Here's a look at some expert predictions in advance of Game 7, with some notable quotes and additional analysis. R.J. Anderson, CBSSports.comPick: DodgersNotable Quote: "When in doubt, take the team with more talent. To us, that's the Dodgers. Both teams play hard, but L.A. pulls it out."The Dodgers have one significant advantage over the Brewers (and the rest of Major League Baseball): Their depth is greater than any other team in the league. Of note, L.A. has 10 players who hit 14 or more home runs this year. They have pop on both sides of the plate and numerous players with positional versatility. Of note, Cody Bellinger can play first base or outfield, Chris Taylor is a middle infielder and outfielder, and Kike Hernandez can basically do everything except pitch or catch.That's a huge plus in National League games sans the designated hitter, especially if the matchup goes into extra innings or the matchup becomes a battle of the bullpens. If you're judging the two rosters from their most valuable position player to their least, the Dodgers have the edge.Dan Mullen, ESPN.comPick: Brewers 5, Dodgers 2Notable Quote: "Saturday's winner-take-all matchup sets up very well for Milwaukee. Miller Park is going to be rocking. They've got a veteran on the mound in Chacin against a rookie (albeit an incredibly talented one). Hader will be available whenever Counsell chooses to unleash him."Brewers left-handed reliever Josh Hader has struck out 143 batters in 81.1 regular-season innings while posting a 2.43 ERA. However, he's been invincible during the playoffs http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-adam-duvall-jersey , throwing seven shutout frames while allowing just four hits and striking out 12 batters. That doesn't even count his performance in the NL Central tiebreaker game against the Chicago Cubs when he threw two shutout innings and struck out three.Hader has been a workhorse out of the bullpen, so there has been concern about his workload. However, the 24-year-old is now well-rested: He is going on three full days rest and has thrown just 1.2 innings (28 pitches) in his last seven calendar days. Manager Craig Counsell could conceivably send him out for three innings, much like he did in Game 1 of the NLCS.Furthermore, Counsell can likely call on right-hander Jeremy Jeffress (8-1, 1.29 ERA, 89 strikeouts in 76.2 regular-season innings) for multiple frames. Jeffress has only thrown two innings since October 14 and tossed only 13 pitches on Friday. That's a huge edge for Milwaukee here. OddsShark ComputerPick: Brewers and Under 7.5 RunsNotable Quote: N/AThe OddsShark computer views this game as a low-scoring affair, and that is a plausible possibility. The Brewers are sending out their best starter in right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, who went 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 192.2 innings. The 30-year-old has been excellent in the 2018 playoffs, throwing 10.1 shutout innings and striking out nine batters in two Brewers victories.The Dodgers send out right-handed starter Walker Buehler, who hasn't done as well in the postseason (6.75 ERA in 12 innings in two losses). However, the 24-year-old shined during the regular season, going 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA and punching out 151 batters in 137.1 frames. If he returns to his regular-season form, this one could turn into a pitcher's duel akin to the Dodgers' 2-1, 13-inning Game 4 victory. Gilles Gallant, OddsSharkPick: Brewers +1.5 and Over 7.5 RunsNotable Quote: "Buehler has started games looking sharp but then has fallen apart in both of his postseason starts. The Brewers' pitching is such an edge to have in a close-out game and coupling that with playing in front of the home crowd Michael Lorenzen Jersey , it's shaping up for the Brewers make the World Series for the first time since 1982."Gilles Gallant of OddsShark takes a different approach than the computer, however, as he thinks the game will go over the 7.5-run over/under total. If Buehler struggles again, then that could happen. More notably, the Brewers have a strong home-field advantage in this spot. Miller Park was raucous on Friday as Brewer fans vociferously booed shortstop Manny Machado because he kicked Milwaukee first baseman Jesus Aguilar in the leg in Game 4. Whether that had an effect on Machado is up for debate, although he did go 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 6.Milwaukee has gone 4-1 at Miller Park during the postseason and finished with a National League-best 51-30 home record during the regular season. Brewers fans are hungry for their team's first World Series appearance (and just second overall) since 1982. Expect them to bring the heat again. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — By now, most everyone in baseball realizes the Oakland Athletics are rarely out of it. Almost no deficit is too daunting for a rallying cry, which could be led by any number of sluggers in a loaded lineup.Never before in his managerial career has Bob Melvin been around a club with such a knack for comebacks, for winning the close ones in the late innings despite what might seem insurmountable odds.Lately, other teams in contention have added to their rosters to try to do the same down the stretch of the season.During a recent trip in Texas, the A’s rallied from behind 10-2 to beat the Rangers 13-10 by scoring 11 runs over the final four innings and getting a three-run homer by Khris Davis in the 10th. They have earned a reputation around baseball — in both leagues, on both coasts and in between — for their ability to keep swinging for the fences and pitch when trailing at any stage of a game.“I think it’s a momentum aspect,” Davis said. “You’ve just got to keep playing the game the right way, what we expect of each other. We’re just looking to do our jobs and luckily we’re having a great time doing it right now.”Oakland is right on the heels of reigning World Series champion Houston in the AL West, the A’s trailing the Astros by five games going into their day off Thursday. The small-budget franchise hasn’t reached the playoffs since losing the AL wild card game in 2014 http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , finishing last in the division the past three seasons.“It’s a fantastic team. We certainly have the ability to be a playoff team,” second baseman Jed Lowrie said. “At this point it’s got to be a narrow focus. Keep the eye on the prize but narrow the focus.”The A’s didn’t get their 60th win until Sept. 8 last year and already reached that mark by July 25 in 2018.They were 27-7 since June 16 before being swept in a three-game weekend series at Colorado from July 27-29, then swept the Blue Jays and Tigers in back-to-back series.New Oakland reliever Shawn Kelley was playing in Washington and went to bed before the A’s were done most days but still had heard plenty about the penchant for finding a way to win late.“Winning close games and not winning games late, I think all that mindset, that mentality kind of manifests itself,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, on the losing end of a one-run game at Oakland on Wednesday. “These guys, with their bullpen, you look at these arms that they’re running out, they have four or five guys deep that are lockdown guys in the pen so if and when they do get a lead early, it’s tough to beat these guys late. And because they can all slug, that they’re a two- or three-run home run away from tying or taking the lead. It’s a tough group and it’s a fun group to watch, it really is. They’re a dangerous team.”Melvin has a deep and talented bullpen that allows him flexibility to mix and match at any point in a game — and the A’s acquired closer Fernando Rodney from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday to bolster that strong unit.“I don’t know if I’ve had this many quality arms in a bullpen ever since I’ve been managing,” he said.The Milwaukee Brewers know how important winning the close ones will be over the season’s final two months. They acquired veteran reliever Joakim Soria and left-handed power hitter Mike Moustakas in a pair of big trades over two days ahead of the deadline.“That’s two different types of things saying when you’re not out of it and winning close games,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I think we had a team last year that we felt like we played in a ton of close games, so you do get kind of hardened to it a little bit as far as it’s the game you play every night. What we felt more than anything is how do you bounce back Jonathan Lucroy Jersey , because you are going to lose some of those games and how do you kind of respond when you lose games like that?“I don’t know if there’s a knack for it but we have enjoyed playing in games like that.”Oakland’s late-inning numbers are phenomenal.The A’s have 31 comeback wins and are the only team in baseball not to lose when leading after seven innings — 46-0 — and have a 61-game winning streak in such contests.Oakland is 55-0 when leading after eight innings, while Seattle (57-0) is the only other team not to lose when ahead after eight.The A’s are best in the majors scoring runs in the seventh inning or after with 217 and the eighth inning at 87. They also lead the majors with 10 comeback wins trailing after seven innings. At 22-9 in one-run games, that is also the best record in the majors.Some managers believe it can become contagious.“Once you’ve done it, you know you can do it and you can do it again and you start feeling it,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “You believe it. Without question, I think having success in close games just breeds more success, especially the way you play and handle the pressure of playing in those tight ballgames.”The A’s have a noticeable swagger having won so many games in dramatic fashion.“It just gives you that extra confidence when you get behind, you don’t worry about it,” Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said.It’s pretty simple in Melvin’s mind: Stick with it, play every out.Though he knows that means making the right moves with the pressure on to pull off some late-game magic.“If you keep it close … all it takes is a walk or a hit or a couple of hits in a row and you’re back in the game,” Melvin said. “That’s why you play 27 outs.”