Baseball

The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers are currently locked in a battle in Game 6 of the ALCS.

Top 9th: Red Sox 5, Tigers 2

Note: Hit me up on Twitter @chris_stephens6 with your thoughts and analysis. I will get in as many of your tweets as possible.

The St. Louis Cardinals punched their ticket to the 2013 World Series on Friday night, and the Boston Red Sox will attempt to join them with a win Saturday. The Cards pounded Clayton Kershaw for seven runs in just four innings, while Michael Wacha and two relievers kept the harmless Dodger bats in check. When the assault was done, the Cards were victorious, 9-0. 

The Boston Red Sox own a perfect 5-0 record when playing the sixth game of a postseason series at home, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Saturday as they try to eliminate the Detroit Tigers in this best-of-seven series at Fenway Park.

It should come as no surprise that recently acquired Chicago Cubs infield prospect Mike Olt is already looking forward to next season. Coming off a rough 2012, in which he was not only traded but battled vision problems, Olt sees the potential opportunity in front of him and is going to do everything he can to seize it. 

The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers will wrap up the ALCS this weekend, with the winner advancing to the 2013 World Series.

Boston has an opportunity to put the Tigers away at Fenway Park in Saturday's Game 6, but earning a date with the St. Louis Cardinals hinges on several, team-specific keys.

Everything from pitch selection and bat control to lineup construction and player psychology is going to influence the outcome. Even with all those variables, expect a nail-biting finish. Four of the first five installments of this series were decided by a single run.

With a systematic thumping of likely NL Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw, the St. Louis Cardinals dispatched the Los Angeles Dodgers and cemented half of our 2013 World Series field.

First you get the pitching. Then you get the power, and then you get the World Series.

As the cliche goes, good pitching always beats good hitting. Fans have heard it drilled into their heads year after year after year.

That wouldn't be the case if it wasn't true. Time and again you see great offenses felled by a couple of great hurlers.

On Friday night, Michael Wacha became part of baseball history.

We know the when and half of the who, but we don't yet know the where.

Of all the ways the Los Angeles Dodgers could have pictured their 2013 season coming to an end, Clayton Kershaw getting rocked in a must-win game probably never crossed their minds.