The Brewers enjoyed a record-tying fifth inning in their Game 1 win over the Cardinals on Sunday night. Milwaukee erased a three-run, fifth-inning deficit and turned it into an eventual 9-6 victory in the first game of the NLCS at Miller Park. The whirlwind rally happened within a span of three pitches thrown by Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia to Jerry Hairston Jr., Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. "They had all the momentum," Braun said. "And then for us to respond well to that, I think, is a great sign of our resiliency, of our character as a team." After Hairston energized the home crowd with a double that put runners at second and third base, Braun showed his opposite-field power by bouncing a two-run ground-rule double over the right-field wall. One pitch later, Fielder further energized Wisconsin with a two-run homer that he belted off the back wall beyond the bullpen in right-center field. The Brewers notched five extra-base hits during a span of seven at-bats in the inning. The five extra-base hits in an inning matched the League Championship Series record the Mets set against the Cardinals in 2000. "Whenever we do do that, it's just awesome, because like you said, it's just real quick," Fielder said. "It's a good feeling, because we're [trailing] there for a while, and obviously that doesn't feel good. Whenever we come back real quick, it's a little extra boost."

The National League The Kevin Towers AJ Cassavell of MLB.com: "With the D-backs' season hanging in the balance, manager Kirk Gibson handed the ball to his rookie right-hander -- the one with the funky delivery, a fastball that rarely touches 90 mph and not an inning of playoff experience." The Frank Wren David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Last winter and at spring training, Braves general manager Frank Wren was asked if he'd try to sign Jason Heyward to a long-term contract, as Tampa Bay did with Evan Longoria early in his rookie season and Milwaukee did with Ryan Braun after his rookie year." The Randy Bush The Chicago Tribune: "Ferris Bueller has returned to Wrigley Field, though this time he didn't have to cut class. And he helped set a world record. The 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" about three truant teenagers' adventures around Chicago was screened Saturday night at the historic baseball field. The event helped mark the film's 25th anniversary." The Walt Jocketty Mark Sheldon of MLB.com: "The talent was there, but the final outcome was well short of expectations, as the Reds missed the postseason in 2011. Though it would seem unlikely to head into 2012 unchanged again, the type of makeover the secretive [Walt] Jocketty might consider is unknown." The Dan O'Dowd Andrew T. Fisher of Purple Row: "Rocktober is the gift that keeps on giving. When the Colorado Rockies won 21 of 22 games in 2007 to complete a miraculous National League Pennant, the inexplicable nature of the time led to magical conclusions. A team that so many didn't believe had the talent to do the impressive...did the impossible." The Michael Hill Juan C. Rodriguez of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Ozzie Guillen during his introductory press conference was asked if he would like Javier Vazquez to return in 2012. He answered in the affirmative, and that was before Vazquez was named National League Pitcher of the Month." The Ed Wade Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle: "Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane has had increased dialogue of late about a potential move to the American League, but Crane said he has yet to receive a formal proposal from Major League Baseball for any sort of compensation for the move." The Ned Colletti Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.: "The Dodgers may not be involved in the postseason, but we can still live vicariously through old friends. Adrian Beltre was the story of the day on Tuesday, hitting three home runs in St. Petersburg to lead the Texas Rangers to their second straight 4-3 road win to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, three games to one." The Doug Melvin Tom Haudricourt of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "With their "beast mode" gestures, the multiple personalities of Nyjer Morgan and other assorted theatrics, the Brewers have received much national attention during the National League Division Series against Arizona. Some of that attention has even centered on their play on the field. The Brewers have made no apologies for being a loose, playful bunch, however. In fact, they insist it is part of what makes them a successful club." The Sandy Alderson Matthew Artus of Amazin' Avenue: "If the New York Mets hope to re-sign Jose Reyes, they'll need to do it on a slightly tighter budget. The Mets announced in a press release this afternoon that they will rescale ticket pricing for season ticket holders while introducing dynamic pricing for individual tickets in 2012." The Ruben Amaro Jr. Pat Gillen of Phillies Nation: "Ben Francisco did what?!? Francisco, pinch-hitting in the seventh inning for pitcher Cole Hamels, smashed a line-drive, three-run home run to give the Phillies 3-0 lead. They would hold on to take Game 3 of the NLDS over the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2." The Neal Huntington Charlie Wilmoth of Bucs Dugout: "I'm not yet sure what conclusions to draw from all this, but look ... this isn't good, folks. There are good things here, like the three Pirates prospects from the Gulf Coast League, particularly given Jose Osuna's surprisingly high ranking. But the Pirates have now had several years to build a killer farm system, and they haven't done it." The John Mozeliak Viva El Birdos: "I don't care about this team, I don't like this team, and I don't care about this season. And sitting there last night fighting and failing right along with them I can honestly say I would give anything I have in this world to see this season I don't care about last just a few more days." The Jed Hoyer Gaslamp Ball: "That's ummm.... That's the reasoning that makes Bud Black the perfect General Manager? There are no other General Manager candidates that can work with Mike Scoscia? Does Scoscia have any other bobblehead dolls on his desk? Heaven forbid there's a painting of Gene Autry on his office walls." The Brian Sabean Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles: "When it comes to Brandon Belt and winter ball, though, I have to plead complete and total ignorance. It sure seems like when Brandon Belt says he's tired, it might be a good idea to let him rest a bit. But it also seems like a good idea to have him playing more baseball, letting him work on the things that bedeviled him in the regular season. Can't tell, and I really don't know anything about this sort of stuff." The Mike Rizzo The Nats Enquirer: "The Nats are apparently looking to make a quick decision about their future skipper -- Davey Johnson says he wants the job next year -- but it seems Davey served his purpose well as a temporary fix, and should be escorted upstairs to a Front Office job with the Nationals to play out the string. Mike Rizzo is looking for a long-term answer, right? So, does Mike Rizzo give a call to Terry Francona, give him an interview for the job?" The American League The Andy MacPhail Dan Collolly of The Baltimore Sun: "As we await word about the Orioles' front office situation -- we expect Andy MacPhail to leave his post as president of baseball operations, maybe as early as [Tuesday], though it's possible he stays with the team in another capacity -- I figured I'd share my thoughts about what happens with the spot, and drop some names." The Theo Epstein Alex Speier of WEEI.com: "While watching Adrian Beltre club one, two, three homers into the bleachers in Tropicana Field to lead the Rangers past the Rays in the AL Division Series, it seemed almost impossible not to wonder about the Red Sox' decision to let him go last offseason." The Kenny Williams Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune: "As soon as general manager Jim Hendry was thought to be in trouble with the Chicago Cubs last spring, White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn's name surfaced as a possible replacement." The Chris Antonetti Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer: "The good news: it wasn't microfracture surgery. The bad news: it was [Grady] Sizemore's fifth surgery in the last three years." The Dave Dombrowski Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com: "Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello was definitely hoping for better results in the first playoff game of his career, with his father, Fred, in attendance at Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday night." The Dayton Moore Jeff Zimmerman of Royals Review: "[Jair Jurrjens] is a big pass with me unless he come real cheap. He is showing degrading skills (fastball and health) along with a skill set that is comparable to pitchers already on the Royals staff. If he was an available FA, I would not mind taking a chance with a minor league deal hoping he could improve. He is not an answer for improving the pitching staff." The Tony Reagins Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times: "Owner Arte Moreno must bring someone in who will think differently from Manager Mike Scioscia and who can come up with a backup plan if their original intentions don't work." The Bill Smith Steve Adams of Twinkie Town: "There haven't been any concrete rumors linking the Twins to Rangers ace and free-agent-to-be C.J. Wilson, save for some speculation by the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, but that's not the point of this post." The Brian Cashman Kimberley Martin of Newsday: "A.J. Burnett reached into the small compartment at the top of his locker and grabbed his iPhone, eager to show off the text message that had meant so much. The majority of Yankee Universe had all but given up on him, but as he stood alone in the corner of the visitors' clubhouse at Comerica Park just after midnight Wednesday, he spoke of one person in particular who gave him all the advice he needed for his big day." The Billy Beane Bruce Jenkins of The San Francisco Chronicle: "Billy Beane says he's staying in Oakland, that he's expecting to hear soon from Major League Baseball on the San Jose/stadium issue, and all of that sounds great -- until it isn't." The Jack Zduriencik Jon Shields of Pro Ball NW: "[Adam] Kennedy provided an unexpected spark early on in the season, leading to much more playing time than any of us would've anticipated coming into the season." The Andrew Friedman Steve Slowinski of Drays Bay: "This was a Rays team that was supposed to struggle to hit .500, that supposedly didn't have a bullpen and would collapse as the Yankees and Red Sox ran over them. This was a team that started the season 0-6, lost Longoria to injury for a month, and still managed to climb back in the race." The Jon Daniels Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News: "Thanks to three home runs from a player that was playing in Boston last season, the Rangers are going back to the ALCS for the second consecutive year. There are plenty of story lines following Tuesday's 4-3 series-clinching victory over Tampa Bay." The Alex Anthopoulos Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com: "For the first time since taking over as general manager, Alex Anthopoulos has a chance to put his undivided attention during the offseason on finding ways to improve the Blue Jays' roster."

The Rangers defeated the Rays 4-3 at Tropicana Field on Tuesday afternoon to advance to the American League Championship Series for the second time in as many years. Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre clubbed three solo home runs in the victory as the AL West champions eliminated the AL Wild Card entrant in four games. The Rangers will face the winner of the Yankees-Tigers series.