BOSTON (AP) -John Lackey lost Game 1 against the Red Sox. Don’t expect him to change his approach too much in Game 4.
The Angels ace will face Boston lefty Jon Lester again Monday night at Fenway Park, with Los Angeles trailing the best-of-five AL playoff series 2-1.
“I’m not planning on making too many adjustments,” Lackey said after the Angels avoided elimination with a 5-4 win in 12 innings Sunday night. “I felt pretty good last time out there.”
Lackey led 1-0 before giving up a two-run homer to Jason Bay in the sixth inning of Boston’s 4-1 win. In 6 2-3 innings, he allowed two runs and four hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
But Lester was outstanding – one unearned run and six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in seven innings.
Now, after the Red Sox used five relievers Sunday, he can keep the series from returning to Anaheim, Calif., for a decisive fifth game Wednesday night.
to worry about going out and executing my pitches. You can’t worry about stuff you can’t control.”
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A GOOD YEAR: Some of the Milwaukee Brewers’ September call-ups took empty champagne bottles around to each locker for their teammates to sign moments after their season ended Sunday.
Milwaukee lost 6-2 to Philadelphia in Game 4 of the NL division series but took home some warm memories from its first postseason trip since 1982.
“Every time you lose it’s difficult to deal with. What makes it difficult is because you fought and you battled and you did everything you possibly can to try to stay positive and try to excel,” said Mike Cameron, who had his own roller-coaster ride this week with the birth of his fourth child, Lilo, on Friday. “The experience we got this year, being a part of history in Milwaukee, I don’t think anybody will forget that.”
Even with big questions looming about the pitching staff, Ryan Braun believes he’ll see another postseason trip with the Brewers. The All-Star slugger agreed to a $45 million, eight-year deal in May that runs through 2015.
Braun considered the season a success.
n’t been to the postseason in 26 years to expect to get to the World Series and win a World Series.”
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RAYS-ING THE PROFILE: The Tampa Bay Rays, who finished 26th in home attendance this season despite being on top of the AL East for the majority of the year, have been trying to raise their profile.
Their first postseason berth might be helping.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said he saw a couple walking around downtown Chicago wearing retro Devil Rays’ jerseys. Maddon is hoping to see more Tampa Bay support when he goes to Europe for his honeymoon in November.
“My goal is to see someone walking around either Rome or, you know, Barcelona or somewhere with some Rays gear on,” he said. “I’m bringing my camera and if it happens I’m absolutely taking a photograph and I promise not to set it up.”
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IT WOULD BE BUEHRLE: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was leaning toward starting left-hander Mark Buehrle for a possible fifth game.
Guillen said he wants to throw as many lefties as possible against Tampa Bay’s predominantly left-handed hitting lineup. Right-hander Javier Vazquez, who gave up six runs in 4 1-3 innings in Game 1, is the other candidate to start if the series goes the distance.
some left-handed hitters that are scary.”
Guillen said he will wait to see how Buehrle, who started Friday in Game 2, feels on Monday before making a decision.
The White Sox beat the Rays 5-3 on Sunday to stay alive in the best-of-five series. Right-hander Gavin Floyd is scheduled to start Game 4 for Chicago.
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STILL CHASING: Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel won’t blame Chase Utley’s hitting woes on a bad hip.
Utley was 0-for-3 in Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers that clinched the Phillies’ first trip to the NL championship series since 1993. That drops his postseason average to a dismal .133, well off his season average of .292.
“When Chase Utley’s hip is bothering him enough where he can’t play, I think he’s going to walk right in there and tell me,” Manuel said. “He ain’t nowhere near there yet.”
The All-Star second baseman refused to acknowledge that he was hurting during the regular season, though general manager Pat Gillick said in late July that Utley had been playing with a sore right hip.
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HE’S BACK: Carlos Pena had two hits in Tampa Bay’s 5-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday and felt fine after missing Game 2 with a scratched left cornea.
“I felt very comfortable,” Pena said. “I was really happy to be back out there.”
d the AL East champions with 31 homers and 102 RBIs this season, hurt himself at home Wednesday and was removed from Thursday’s series opener after two innings. He was scratched from Game 2.
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