Rays & Dodgers Win

 

The Tampa Bay Rays are still afloat in the AL division series.

Jose Lobaton hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning into the giant fish tank beyond the center-field wall, and Tampa Bay staved off elimination once again by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Monday night.

Evan Longoria had a three-run homer and the Rays averted a playoff sweep, cutting Boston’s lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, with Jake Peavy starting for the Red Sox against Jeremy Hellickson.

“Look at this whole week working up to today, and then this game is even more dramatic than the other games we had already won,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s really an incredible day for the Rays.”

Tampa Bay took a win-or-go-home game for the fourth time in nine days. The Rays did it with an unlikely stroke as Lobaton, who came off the bench to catch in the top of the ninth, connected against Red Sox closer Koji Uehara.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s something you can’t explain,” Lobaton said. “We never give up. We’re going to keep fighting.”

DODGER’S WIN

Juan Uribe was unable to get a bunt down — and it

was the best thing that happened to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Uribe hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning after Clayton Kershaw started on short rest for the Dodgers in a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night that sent Los Angeles into the National League championship series for the first time since 2009.

Carl Crawford homered his first two times up for the Dodgers, who won the best-of-five playoff 3-1. The NL West champions will open the next round Friday against St. Louis or Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals host the wild-card Pirates in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Wednesday.

“We’ve moved one step closer, and we don’t have to get back on a plane tomorrow. It’s a good feeling,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.