In the bottom of the first inning, the Dodgers scored five runs and the Phillies never were able to get back into the game. After giving up another run in the second inning, starting pitcher Jamie Moyer was pulled for Philadelphia. All told, Moyer gave up six earned runs in less than two innings.

On the opposing mound, Hiroki Kuroda had another good postseason start for the Dodgers. The native of Japan gave up two earned runs in six innings of work while striking out three batters.

At the plate, the Dodgers had a number of stars including Rafael Furcal and Manny Ramirez. Furcal was 2-4 with two runs, an RBI and a homer. Ramirez was 1-2 with two walks, two run and an RBI.

Here is a Los Angeles Dodgers video of their Game 3 win over the Phillies:

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To advance, the Red Sox got a big hit from rookie Jed Lowrie. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Lowrie delivered a series winning single against the Los Angeles Angels to end the game. Scoring the winning run was Jason Bay as the Red Sox won 3-2.

The Rays had a hero of their own on Monday night. BJ Upton hit two home runs — solo shots in the 1st and 3rd innings off of Chicago White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. Carlos Pena also chipped in with a 3-for-4 and two RBI effort.

The first game between the Red Sox and Rays will be on Friday at 8PM EST. Here is a Red Sox versus Rays video preview:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

At first, things looked fine for Chicago. They got up 2-0 by scoring two in the bottom of the second inning. But then James Looney of the Dodgers hit a grand slam in the top of the fifth inning to put Los Angeles up for good.

Not surprisingly, Manny Ramirez shined for the Dodgers. He was 2-4 with a walk, two runs, an RBI and a homer run. Derek Lowe pitched a fine six innings, giving up two earned runs while striking out six.

For the Cubs, things weren’t as rosy. Ryan Dempster struggled through 4.2 innings that saw him walk seven batters and give up four earned runs. Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto combined to go 0-12.

Chicago still has a chance to put the curse to bed but Game 2 has now turned out to be a must win game. Taking the hill for the Cubs will be ace Carlos Zambrano and he will take on Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers.

Game 2 will be Thursday at 9:30 PM CST.

Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre have to like the Dodgers’ Game 1 success.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

To even force this final game, the White Sox had to beat the Detroit Tigers on Monday. They did so by a final score of 8-2. The big hit in the game was authored by second baseman Alexei Ramirez in the form of a grand slam.

While the Twins have been playing well recently, the White Sox come limping into this elimination game. Despite that fact, Chicago could be favored due to the fact that they will be playing the game at home.

Pitching for the Twins will be Nick Blackburn. Blackburn so far has an 11-10 record and a 4.14 ERA. The White Sox will send John Danks and his 11-9 record and 3.47 ERA to the mound.

The game will start at 7:30 PM EST. The winner will play the Tampa Bay Rays in a series that starts on Thursday.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

For both teams, the playoffs weren’t a foregone conclusion coming into the 2008 season. The Cubs aren’t exactly known for their postseason prowess, having not won the World Series since 1908. One hundred year droughts tend to calm optimism.

On the other hand, the Rays had never even made the playoffs. Entering 2008, many had Tampa Bay pegged as the worst team in the American League East. Not only do they stand above glorified organizations such as the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, they now seem poised to contend for a World Series championship.

The only other team in baseball to clinch a playoff berth is the Los Angeles Angels.

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Currently, the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the American League East, however their lead is minimal. Only 1.5 games up on the Boston Red Sox, the Rays will have to play well down the stretch to hold off the reigning World Series champions.

The good news is that the Rays and Red Sox have a healthy lead in the Wild Card standings, so even if the Red Sox catch up the Rays should still make the 2008 baseball playoffs.

Here is the video of Dwight Howard throwing out the first pitch for the Rays:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

To replace Yost, the Brewers have selected third-base coach Dale Sveum. Sveum will try to turn around a team that has lost seven of their last eight games. Prior to this losing skid, Milwaukee seemed like a shoo-in for the 2008 baseball playoffs.

With 12 games left in their schedule, the Brewers will likely need to win eight or nine games to make the playoffs. At 83-67, the Brewers were already having one of their better seasons in recent history. In fact, the Brewers haven’t made the playoffs since 1982.

Here is a Ned Yost video where the discussion involves Yost and his replacement Dale Sveum:

Post from: Knuckle Curve