Phillies Beat Dodgers; Red Sox Top Rays

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Phillies are heading west to Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.

The Phils beat the Dodgers 8-5 in Game Two. They jumped out to an early 8-2 lead by scoring four runs in each of the second and third innings.

Brett Myers was a hit for the Phillies on the mound and at the plate. He limited the Dodgers to five runs on six hits through his five innings. At the plate, Myers was three-for-three and drove in three runs. Shane Victorino had two hits and drove in four runs for the Phils.

After Myers' five innings, the Phillies bullpen shut out the Dodgers the final four frames. Brad Lidge closed out the Dodgers in the ninth for the save.

The Phillies were leading 8-2 before Manny Ramirez connected for a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers was knocked out in the third inning after giving up eight runs on eight hits.

The teams have Saturday off as a travel day. When the best-of-seven series resumes Sunday at Chavez Ravine, it will be 45-year-old Jamie Moyer pitching for Philadelphia against the Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda (hir-ROH'-kee kuh-ROH'-duh).

ALCS: Red Sox 2 Rays 0 - Red Sox lead series 1-0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox have taken the opener of the American League Championship Series with a tense 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka did not allow a hit through six innings. Carl Crawford broke up his no-hit bid with a single to lead off the single. But Matsuzaka got out of that two-on, no-out jam.

The Japanese hurler struck out nine and walked four in blanking the Rays on four hits in seven-plus innings. The Boston bullpen finished the shutout with Jonathan Papelbon earning the save with a scoreless ninth.

The Red Sox broke a scoreless duel with a run in the fifth. Jason Bay opened with a walk. Mark Kotsay, trying to check his swing, hit an excuse-me opposite field double to move Bay to third. Jed Lowrie plated the first run with a sacrifice fly to right off Rays starter James Shields.

Shields allowed two runs on six hits in seven and a-third innings and took the loss.

In the eighth, Kevin Youkilis drove in an insurance run with a sinking line drive that Crawford got a glove on but couldn't hold.

Game Two is Saturday night. Scott Kazmir pitches for Tampa Bay against Josh Beckett of the Red Sox in a matchup of 12-game winners.