MLB Playoffs: Phillies roll, take 2-1 lead

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cliff Lee dominated the Dodgers, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth provided the big swings early and the Philadelphia Phillies cruised past Los Angeles 11-0 Sunday night for a 2-1 lead in the NL championship series.

Lee provided another brilliant playoff start, striking out 10 and allowing only three hits in eight innings.

Howard hustled for a triple, Werth homered and the Phillies led 6-0 by the second inning. Howard made two headfirst dives during the romp — the big slugger has an RBI in all seven of Philadelphia’s playoff games this year, a record streak in a single postseason.

Coming off the most-lopsided win in their postseason history, the defending World Series champion Phillies will try to move closer to a return in Game 4 Monday night. Joe Blanton starts against the Dodgers’ Randy Wolf, who hasn’t pitched since the opener of the division series against St. Louis.

Howard had three RBIs, including his two-run triple in the first. Werth followed that with a two-run homer, and that was more than enough for Lee.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner faced just two batters over the minimum. Lee gave up a pair of singles to Manny Ramirez and one to Ronnie Belliard.

Lee hit a single in the eighth and scored on Shane Victorino’s three-run homer. Chad Durbin relieved to begin the ninth and pitched a hitless inning.

Lee is 2-0 with an 0.74 ERA in three postseason starts, giving the Phillies exactly what they expected when they acquired him from Cleveland in late July.

ALCS

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Torii Hunter grabbed his hat, tied his spikes and headed out of Los Angeles’ home clubhouse into the abundant sunshine and cool breezes of Angel Stadium.

“Now I can work on my tan again,” the Angels’ unofficial captain said with a grin Sunday.

His Angels are undeniably in trouble after two nights of horrible weather and messier baseball in New York, where the Yankees took a 2-0 lead over their error-prone opponents in the AL championship series.

Yet the Angels say they’re far from finished going into Game 3 Monday, insisting they can warm back up with the fundamentally sound play that got them here after a difficult season.

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