Astros advance
The Houston Astros are headed to the American League Championship Series. The young Astros eliminated the Boston Red Sox on Monday and will play either Cleveland Indians or the New York Yankees for the AL title and a trip to the World Series.
CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo looped a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs overcame Max Scherzer’s brilliant performance to beat the Washington Nationals 2-1 on Monday for a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series.
Scherzer was dominant in his return from a right hamstring injury, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh. But just like in Game 1, when Chicago was held hitless into the sixth by Stephen Strasburg, the World Series champion Cubs showed off their resilience on the way to a stirring victory.
Game 4 of the bestof-5 series is Tuesday. Jake Arrieta returns from his own hamstring injury for the Cubs, while Tanner Roark gets the ball for the Nationals.
Chicago committed four errors, including two by left fielder Kyle Schwarber on one ugly play, and Rizzo and Jason Heyward each made uncharacteristic baserunning mistakes. But the Cubs got a huge pinchhit RBI single from Albert Almora Jr. and a solid pitching performance from Jose Quintana in the return of postseason baseball to Wrigley Field after last year’s World Series ended in Cleveland.
Scherzer struck out seven and walked three before he was pulled after Ben Zobrist doubled to leftcenter on his 98th pitch for Chicago’s first hit with one out in the seventh.
Astros eliminate Red Sox
BOSTON — Ace lefthander Chris Sale began Boston’s AL Division Series by giving up seven runs in five innings. Fellow starters Drew Pomeranz, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello didn’t do any better.
Again and again, the high-powered Houston Astros got to Boston’s starters early, and after four truncated outings by their starters, the AL East champion Red Sox are heading home for a second straight early postseason exit following a 5-4 loss in Game 4 on Monday.
Boston used two Cy Young Award winners during the series in Porcello and David Price, and it may have another this year in Sale. And yet Houston scored in the first inning of every game, chasing every starter besides Sale before the fourth inning.
It’s returned a cloud of uncertainty over manager John Farrell, who had an early exit himself Monday, ejected by plate umpire Mark Wegner for arguing balls and strikes in the second.
Farrell, a former Oklahoma State assistant coach, led the franchise to back-to-back division titles for the first time in its history, but last year’s team was swept in an ALDS by Cleveland, and this year’s team didn’t fare much better
Yankees even series with Indians
NEW YORK — Luis Severino bounced back from his playoff debacle, slumping Aaron Judge delivered a big hit and the New York Yankees took advantage of shoddy defense by Cleveland to beat the Indians 7-3 Monday night and push their AL Division Series to a decisive Game 5.
Gary Sanchez homered and Judge laced an early two-run double for his only hit of the series to go with 12 strikeouts in 15 at-bats.
After preventing a threegame sweep with a 1-0 win Sunday night, the wildcard Yankees will start
CC Sabathia in Game 5 at Cleveland on Wednesday. Indians ace Corey Kluber gets the ball in a rematch from Game 2, when he was hit hard by New York.