Due to more favorable conditions for hitters, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly felt the offenses had a better shot of solving pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Michael Wacha in Friday’s Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, after both dominated in Game 2.

The bubbling frustrations over Prince Fielder’s postseason finally made themselves audible at Comerica Park on Thursday night, when a sold-out crowd frequently booed the slugger they’ve known since his toddler days.

With two chances to secure a trip to the World Series, the Red Sox will send Clay Buchholz to the mound Saturday in Game 6 at Fenway Park. The Tigers, aiming to send the ALCS to a decisive Game 7 on Sunday, will send AL Cy Young Award front-runner Max Scherzer, who struck out 13 in a Game 2 no-decision.

In the here and now, Jhonny Peralta is a man who served his time under the terms of his negotiated suspension — remember, he didn’t fail a drug test, but his name appeared in documents from the Biogenesis clinic — and was welcomed back into the Detroit dugout because of the teammate he is and the performance he can provide.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland returned to town Friday afternoon still not sure whether he will have catcher Alex Avila available to play Saturday in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series vs. the Red Sox.

Maybe the classiest moment of this postseason occurred Thursday night just after Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias sprinted from a spot to the right of second base all the way into shallow left-center field to make an astonishing, swipe-of-the-glove, back-to-the-infield grab of a David Ortiz fly ball.

There will be baseball in Arlington in 2014 without Nolan Ryan, and eventually chatter must give way to the real business of putting together a championship team on the field.

How do Cubs shortstop Javier Baez’s Minor League stats compare to Manny Ramirez’s? Who has the brighter future, Chris Archer or Yordano Ventura?

At 21 years and 16 days old for Thursday’s ALCS Game 5 win over the Tigers, Xander Bogaerts became the youngest Red Sox starter in a postseason game. The previous youngest was Babe Ruth, who took the mound at the age of 21 years and 246 days in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series.

The White Sox and free agent Cuban slugger Jose Abreu have agreed on a six-year, $68 million deal, pending a physical, sources confirmed to MLB.com late Thursday.

Gorkys Hernandez went 3-for-4 with one triple and one RBI as Caribes topped Lara, 7-5 on Thursday in the Venezuelan Winter League. Second baseman Jose Castillo picked up two RBIs. Dodgers top prospect Joc Pederson went 2-for-3 with a triple, RBI and two walks in the loss.

As the Road to the World Series enters its final days, the teams that claimed the No. 1 seed in their respective leagues will be leaning on that advantage this weekend, needing to win one out of two at home to reach the Fall Classic.

After an early offensive outburst — including Mike Napoli’s mammoth homer — the big three of Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara provided relief both literally and figuratively, and the Red Sox pulled through with a 4-3 victory over the Tigers on Thursday night that leaves Boston one win away from going to the World Series.

Max Scherzer dominated the Red Sox for seven innings, striking out 13, in Game 2 at Fenway Park, but the Tigers right-hander knows he’ll have to make adjustments to his strategy Saturday in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.

Clay Buchholz will have an opportunity to secure the Red Sox a trip to the World Series when he takes the mound against the Tigers on Saturday in a crucial Game 6 at Fenway Park. After a rough outing in Game 2, Buchholz studied the approach of teammate John Lackey, who shut down the Tigers in a Game 3 victory.

After making some of the best defensive plays in the Majors throughout the regular season, Jose Iglesias, the Tigers’ shortstop, added to his reputation on Thursday night by taking away a third-inning single from Ortiz with a remarkable over-the-shoulder grab in shallow left field.

The Red Sox have been talking about how a well-timed Mike Napoli streak could be just the thing to kick their offense into gear. With Boston now just a victory from the World Series, he’s picking the perfect time to get hot.