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ST. LOUIS -- Carlos Beltran kept protesting that hes just one player. Albeit a pretty special one in October. "Understand this is not about me," Beltran said. "In order for a team to win a ballgame, a lot of things need to happen right, the right way. We have to pitch, we have to play defence, and we have to come through offensively." Beltran had the last two covered like a blanket in Game 1 of the NL championship series Friday night, giving the St. Louis Cardinals his latest scintillating post-season performance in a 13-inning, 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Carlos, hes a tough out for us," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. Beltran hit a tying, two-run double in the third inning. Then he took charge on defence, calling centre fielder Jon Jay off the ball before throwing out a runner at the plate from shallow right field in the 10th to keep it even. "I felt I was going to have a better angle so I called for the ball about five or six times," Beltran said. "And Jon Jay was able to hear me and leave it up to me." Well past midnight at Busch Stadium, Beltran singled into the right-field corner with one out against Kenley Jansen in the 13th to finish a game that took 4 hours, 47 minutes. "I tip my hat to Carlos Beltran, hes a pro," Jansen said. "Its my job to get these guys out. I was comfortable with the situation." Neither team had much time to exhale before Game 2 Saturday afternoon, scheduled to start 14 1-2 hours after Daniel Descalso crossed the plate. It features a marquee pitching matchup -- major league ERA leader Clayton Kershaw vs. Cardinals rookie Michael Wacha, whos flirted with no-hitters his last two starts. Beltran has 16 home runs, 12 doubles and 34 RBIs in 40 career post-season games, and is hitting .345. Hes also scored 42 runs and stolen 11 bases while with the Astros, Mets and Cardinals. The eight-time All-Star is hoping this year ends with his first trip to the World Series. "Just fun to watch him do his thing, whether its offensively, the big throw he made defensively," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. It was the longest post-season game for the Dodgers since the 1916 World Series, when Babe Ruth pitched all 14 innings to lead the Boston Red Sox past Brooklyn. This one also tied for the longest series opener in post-season history, according to STATS. Boston and Cleveland played 13 innings in their 1995 AL division series, with the Indians winning 5-4. "You work so hard in the off-season, spring training and regular season to get to this point and were fortunate to be here," Beltran said. "Thats a preview. Today was a good game and thats what its all about. They didnt want to lose and we didnt want to lose," he said. Descalso had a pinch-hit single with one out in the 13th off rookie Chris Withrow, and Matt Carpenter walked. Jansen, usually the Dodgers closer, relieved and Beltran won it with his hit on a 3-1 count. The Cardinals remained unbeaten in extra-inning post-season games since dropping the opener of the 1946 World Series to Boston. That said, theyre just 4-0 in that span. Winning pitcher Lance Lynn strengthened his case for a possible Game 4 start with two scoreless innings. Withrow took the loss. "There were a lot of big outs that both teams got tonight," Mattingly said. "If the rest of the series is like this game, it should be a pretty good one." The Dodgers had two on in the ninth, 10th and 11th and came up empty. They stranded 11 overall while going 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. They averaged 6 1-2 runs and batted .333, best ever in an NL post-season series, while taking a four-game division series from the Braves. Dodgers starter Zack Greinke struck out 10 in eight innings, allowing just four hits. Cardinals starter Joe Kelly left after the sixth with the score 2-all. Mark Ellis tripled with one out in the Dodgers 10th. After Hanley Ramirez was intentionally walked, Michael Young followed with a fly ball to shallow right field that Beltran caught. Beltran made a strong, one-hop throw home and Ellis crashed into Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina. Molina held the ball, but it was hard to tell whether he actually tagged Ellis. On such plays, however, umpires almost always give the benefit to the catcher and call the runner out. "Youve got to go, thats what you do," Ellis said. "They made a great throw, Yadi made a great tag." The Dodgers put runners at first and second with two outs in the 11th against John Axford. Pinch-hitter Nick Punto, who played for the Cardinals on their 2011 World Series championship team, struck to end the inning. Young, in the game after cleanup man Adrian Gonzalez was pulled for a pinch-runner in the eighth, got another chance in 12th. With runners on first and second, he grounded into an inning-ending double play against Lynn. Beltrans double in the third barely eluded centre fielder Andre Ethier. Slowed by a sore ankle, Ethier made his first start in this post-season. He appeared to mistime his jump just a bit as he banged into the padded wall. Beltrans two-run double in the third was the only damage against Greinke. He fanned Carpenter, Matt Adams and Pete Kozma twice each and struck out the side in the fifth. The teams are post-season foes for the first time since a Dodgers sweep in their 2009 division series. Its their first NLCS matchup since 1985, when the Cardinals won in six games behind game-breaking homers from Ozzie Smith and Jack Clark off Tom Niedenfuer. Kelly left on his own terms after six innings in a 2-all tie, hurt only by Juan Uribes two-run single in the third. Counting multiple efforts, the Cardinals had five relievers warm but the Dodgers were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Kelly got all three outs on strikeouts in the first. The Dodgers left runners on second and third when Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig fanned. Kershaw started the division series clincher against Atlanta on three days rest Monday and will be on regular rest in Game 2. The left-hander said the media made a big deal of short rest, but not he nor Mattingly. Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire got a nice hand when he lined up along the third base line during introductions. So did two other former Cardinals, utility men Skip Schumaker and Punto. There was some booing for Greinke, who referred to Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter as a "phoney" when Greinke was with the Brewers. NOTES: Carpenter, who entered in a 1-for-29 slump, walked and scored on Beltrans double. ... Greinkes career best is 15 strikeouts for the Royals on Aug. 25, 2009, against Cleveland. ... It was the longest NLCS game since the New York Mets beat Atlanta 4-3 in 15 innings on Robin Venturas "grand slam-single" in 1999. Air Max 720 Outlet Cheap . Mako Vunipola was promoted from the reserves, with Matt Mullan called up to the bench on Thursday. "It is important that Joe is with his partner at this exciting time," England coach Stuart Lancaster said. Air Max 720 Sale Cheap . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. http://www.airmax720outletcheap.com/.Brady threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman midway through the fourth quarter, and New England beat the San Diego Chargers 23-14 for its eighth win in nine games. Air Max 720 Wholesale Free Shipping . Anaheim Ducks Reassign D Colby Robak to Norfolk Admirals (AHL). - Team Website D Eric Brewer (foot) removed from injured reserve. Air Max 720 Cheap China . -- Max Domi scored twice and set up two more as the London Knights toppled the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 6-4 on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League action.CHICAGO - David Ross said a 5-year-old could have caught Jon Lester on Thursday night. That big hit in the ninth? Well, that was a nice swing by the veteran catcher. Lester pitched eight sharp innings and Ross had a tiebreaking RBI double, leading the Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night. Lester (2-2) allowed one run and seven hits for his second straight win after opening the season with two losses. The left-hander struck out nine and walked none, winning an impressive pitchers duel with White Sox ace Chris Sale. Lester retired his first 16 batters before Tyler Flowers singled in the sixth. Xander Bogaerts homered with two out in the sixth for Bostons only hit off Sale. "(Lester) was very good. Threw pitches for strikes, was down in the strike zone. He established an outstanding rhythm right from the start," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "As well as Sale was pitching it needed everything that John gave us tonight." The game was tied at 1 when Mike Napoli and pinch-hitter Mike Carp had consecutive one-out singles in the ninth for the Red Sox. Ross then had a double to right against Ronald Belisario (1-2), driving home Napoli. Jonathan Herrera added an RBI single against Scott Downs as the Red Sox captured the last two of their three-game set in Chicago. "Obviously when youve got a guy going like Sale on the other side and hes throwing the ball as well as he did tonight, its good to grind out those innings and get some runs on the board late for us," Lester said. Koji Uehara picked up his third save in three tries with a scoreless ninth, getting pinch-hitter Jose Abreu to ground to third to end the game. Sale struck out 10 and threw a career-high 127 pitches in seven innings. The left-hander was trying to become the first White Sox pitcher to start 4-0 since Jose Contreras in 2006. "Going out there any giving everything you got," Sale said about the number of pitches. "A team rolls in there like this you cant have any consternation with that, you cant shy away from that." Sale and Lester provided a big lift for the tired bullpens on each team. The Red Sox used seveen pitchers in a 6-4, 14-inning win on Wednesday, while the White Sox used nine, including infielder Leury Garcia for one inning.dddddddddddd The White Sox had a chance to grab the lead in the seventh but Adam Dunn was thrown out at the plate when he tried to score from first on Alejandro De Azas two-out double into the right-field corner. "Youve got to take a chance like that especially the way Lesters pitching," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. Sale got some help from centre fielder Adam Eaton in the first inning. With two out, David Ortiz drove a 2-2 pitch to deep left-centre field, but Eaton jumped and took a home run away by making a one-handed grab. That was the closest either team came to scoring until Bogaerts connected for his first home run of the season, driving a 1-0 pitch deep to left. The White Sox responded in the bottom half. Flowers got on for Chicagos first baserunner and Garcia followed with a ground-rule double to right. Eaton then reached on an infield single, tying it at 1. "If youre a baseball fan that was a really good game tonight," Ross said. "Two big lefties - probably two of the best ones in the game going at it - and we came out ahead." Alexei Ramirezs two-out single in the ninth extended his season-opening hitting streak to 16 games, setting a Chicago record. NOTES: Napoli was back in the lineup after missing Wednesdays game with a dislocated left ring finger. ... Abreu, who was 1 for his last 21 entering the game, was replaced in the lineup by Paul Konerko. ... Red Sox OF Shane Victorino is set to begin a three-game rehab assignment Saturday at Triple-A Pawtucket and could join Boston for his season debut later next week. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list March 31 with a hamstring strain. ... Chicago purchased the contract of RHP Zach Putnam and designated LHP Donnie Veal for assignment. ... RHP John Lackey (2-1, 3.86 ERA) will start for the Red Sox on Friday in Boston against Baltimore RHP Chris Tillman (1-1, 0.84 ERA). ... RHP Felipe Paulino (0-1, 7.98 ERA) will pitch Friday for the White Sox in Texas against LHP Martin Perez (2-0, 2.70 ERA). ' ' '