Sunday American League Capsules.
CHI WHITE SOX 5, TAMPA BAY 3

CHICAGO The Chicago White Sox led the majors in home runs during the regular season. Standing on the verge of elimination on Sunday, Ozzie Guillens team turned to small ball.

John Danks tossed 6 2/3 strong innings and Dewayne Wise drove in a pair of runs and stole a base to ensure that Chicago would live to play another day with a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game Three of the American League Division Series.

A.J. Pierzynski had two hits and drove in a run for the White Sox, who will host Game Four on Monday.

Chicago clubbed 235 homers in the regular season but were held without a long ball in losing the first two games of the ALDS. On the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series, the White Sox started to manufacture some runs.

Trailing 1-0 in the third, Wise drew a walk to lead off the frame before Juan Uribe lined out and Orlando Cabrera struck out. On the verge of another wasted inning, Wise stole second before Pierzynski singled to draw Chicago even.

The White Sox used some speed to put three more runs on the board in the fourth. After Jim Thome led off with a double, Paul Konerko walked and Ken Griffey Jr. singled to load the bases.

Rookie Alexei Ramirez then lifted a fly ball to deep center field. Thome scored easily from third on the sacrifice fly and Konerko and Griffey each moved up a base, putting two men in scoring position for Wise, who drove the first pitch from Matt Garza (0-1) into the left field for a two-run double.

Danks (1-0) made the early support stand up, setting down 12 of 14 between the third and the sixth. The 24-year-old lefthander, who pitched eight scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday to get Chicago into the playoffs, was charged with three runs and seven hits while walking three and striking out seven in 6 2/3 frames.

He left after allowing a two-run homer to B.J. Upton and a single to Carlos Pena in the seventh.

Octavio Dotel struck out Evan Longoria with a runner on to end the seventh and Matt Thornton pitched a scoreless eighth before handing the ball to closer Bobby Jenks, who struck out Pena with a runner on to end the game and earn the save.

Upton, Pena, Akinori Iwamura and Dioner Navarro each had two hits for the Rays.

LA ANGELS 5, BOSTON 4 (12 INNINGS)

BOSTON The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still alive.

Erick Aybar singled in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning to give the Angels a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the American League Division Series.

Mike Napoli hit two homers and scored the winning run for Anaheim, which staved off elimination in the best-of-five series. The Red Sox lead two games to one, with Game Four scheduled for Monday.

With lefthander Javier Lopez (0-1) on the mound to start the 12th, Napoli fouled off three pitches before driving a 2-2 offering into left field. Howie Kendrick sacrificed him to second before Aybar singled to center.

Anaheims win snapped an 11-game losing streak against Boston in postseason play.

The Red Sox had a chance to end it in the 10th when they loaded the bases against Francisco Rodriguez, but rookie Jed Lowrie lined out to right field to end the threat.

Boston grabbed three runs in the second to take the lead on a defensive breakdown by the Angels. With the bases loaded and two out, Jacoby Ellsbury hit a pop up into shallow center field.

Second baseman Kendrick, shortstop Aybar and center fielder Torii Hunter could not decide who would make the play, and the ball dropped for the first three-run single in major league postseason history.

Napoli tied it at 3-3 with a two-run blast deep over the Green Monster in left field in the bottom of the frame and gave the Angels the lead with a solo blast in the fifth off Josh Beckett.

The Red Soxs ace lasted five frames and was charged with all four runs, allowing nine hits and walking four while striking out six.

Beckett entered the contest with a 6-0 record and a 1.73 ERA in his postseason career but was working on 12 days rest after being shut down with a strained oblique muscle. The injury did not seem to affect Beckett, who certainly looked rusty with his command, throwing just 59 of 106 pitches for strikes.

Boston came back to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Ellsbury led off with a double and came in to score on Kevin Youkilis two-out double to center field.

That ended the night for Anaheim lefthander Joe Saunders, who surrendered four runs and five hits while walking four and striking out two.

Posted on October 6th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: MLB Baseball News