National League Championship Series (Best-of-seven) --------------------------------------------------- St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3 (St. Louis leads series, 2-1) St. Louis, Mo (WSAU) Staked with a four-run lead, Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen shut down the Milwaukee Brewers to win Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, 4-3, at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals batted around in a four-run first inning, though their NL Central rivals chipped away at the lead and pulled within a run when Mark Kotsay homered into the right-field bullpen leading off the third. But Carpenter (2-0) allowed just one more hit in his five-inning start. And a relief effort consisting of Fernando Salas, Lance Lynn, Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte combined for four perfect frames to take a 2-1 series lead. Albert Pujols continued his torrid post-season by going 2-for-2 with two walks and a run-scoring double, while David Freese added to his October heroics with three hits, including the deciding RBI double in the first. Milwaukee will look to even the series tonight when Randy Wolf takes the mound opposite Kyle Lohse, who will be pitching on 12 days rest. American League Championship Series (Best-of-seven) --------------------------------------------------- Texas 7, Detroit 3, 11 innings (Texas leads series, 3-1) Detroit, Mich (WSAU) Mike Napoli hit a game-winning RBI single in the top of the 11th. and Nelson Cruz capped the frame with a three-run homer, as the Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers, 7-3, to grab a decisive lead in this best-of-seven series. Cruz continues to punish the Tigers, becoming the only player in post-season history to hit two extra inning home runs in the same series. He ended Game 2 in the 11th inning with the first walkoff grand slam in playoff history. The Rangers grabbed a 3-1 advantage in this American League championship series. Detroit sends 24-game winner Justin Verlander to the hill as the series shifts back to Arlington today.