 CHICAGO (AP) - The American League Division Series resume today with the Tampa Bay Rays playing the White Sox in Chicago and the Los Angeles Angels facing the Red Sox in Boston. Both are game 4 in the best-of-5 series with the Rays and Red Sox leading 2 games to 1. The National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies begins on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Angels stayed alive in the American League Division Series after winning a five-hour, 19-minute marathon 5-4 game over Boston on Erick Aybar's run-scoring bloop single in the 12th inning.
That ends the Angels' streak of 11 straight postseason losses to the Red Sox, including three-game sweeps in the AL division series in 2004 and 2007.
Mike Napoli homered twice, drove in three and scored the go-ahead run. Napoli tied the game in the third with a two-run homer. In his first career relief appearance, Jered Weaver pitched two innings of scoreless relief to get the win.
The victory forces a Game four Monday night at Fenway Park. John Lackey tries to even the series for the Angels against Jon Lester of the Red Sox.
Chicago still has one team alive in the baseball playoffs. One day after the Cubs were swept in the National League playoffs, the Chicago White Sox stayed alive by beating Tampa Bay 5-3. That cuts the Rays' lead in the AL playoff series to 2-1.
John Danks pitched another big game to save the White Sox season. Danks allowed three runs in six and two-thirds innings in getting the win. Bobby Jenks earned the save with a scoreless run.
DeWayne Wise delivered a two-run double in the White Sox fourth when Chicago broke a 1-1 tie with three runs. Matt Garza was the Rays' losing pitcher, allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings.
Game four in the best-of-five matchup is Monday in Chicago, with Gavin Floyd facing Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine.
The Phillies are going to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1993. A year after being swept out of the playoffs in the opening round by Colorado, Philadelphia beat Milwaukee 6-2 to capture this year's division series three-games-to-one.
Pat Burrell broke out of a slump and hit two of the Phillies' four home runs in the clincher. And mid-season acquisition Joe Blanton held the Brewers to one run over five innings after an eight-day layoff.
The victory gives the Phillies another crack at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. L.A. completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
The Phillies and Dodgers have met for the NL pennant three times before. The Dodgers won in 1977 and '78, while the Phillies took the flag in 1983. |