There was no wavering or second-guessing on the part of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa on when to remove pitcher Kyle Lohse from the Phillies' critical five-run sixth inning in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

The doctor was in Saturday night. Oh, he was about 20 minutes late, but once he arrived, he practiced the effective brand of medicine that makes Roy Halladay so special.

Albert Pujols aggravated some nagging left ankle discomfort on Saturday night and was removed from the Cardinals' 11-6 National League Division Series loss to the Phillies.

Roy Halladay allowed a three-run homer in the first inning, but the Phillies scored five runs in the sixth and played add-on in the seventh in an 11-6 comeback victory. Ryan Howard hit a three-run shot to prime Philadelphia's big inning.

Ryan Howard blasted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning of Saturday's Game 1 of the National League Division Series that helped propel the Phillies to an 11-6 come-from-behind win and made the Howard the toast of the town, at least for one night.

The Brewers' "Beast Mode" has gotten so big, even their fans are getting into the act.

The Yankees are lining up CC Sabathia for Monday's Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Tigers, ruling out any possibility that he would start sooner than that.

Eight years is a long time at Fenway Park, especially in this era. It's been suggested that Terry Francona's managerial tenure should be measured in dog years, which equates to 56 years. He simply had enough.

Yovani Gallardo has been on this stage before, but the circumstances surrounding his last postseason experience were much different than the atmosphere the young Brewers starter stepped into on Saturday afternoon.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are going into Game 2 of this National League Division Series in a conventional manner. The Milwaukee Brewers are doing something out of the ordinary.

The D-backs' culture of aggressive play was on display from the very first moments of Game 1 of the National League Division Series, for better and for worse.

His 3-for-4 performance came three days late, but Ryan Braun didn't seem to care. Braun needed three hits in the Brewers' final regular-season game to secure the NL batting title. Instead, he went 0-for-4. But on the big stage in Game 1 of the NLDS against the D-backs on Saturday, Braun delivered.

Johnny Damon has seven trips to the postseason and two World Series championships on his resume, but he feels nothing quite measures up to the journey he is currently on with the Rays.

Manager Joe Maddon announced prior to Game 2 of the American League Division Series that David Price will start Game 3 and Jeremy Hellickson will start Game 4, if necessary.

It turns out that starting Jerry Hairston Jr. at third base in the opening game of the 2011 postseason was not only the correct move. The way Hairston played, it was a brilliant move.

Yovani Gallardo pitched eight inspired innings and tied Don Sutton's postseason franchise record with nine strikeouts, and Prince Fielder belted a seventh-inning, two-run home run, the biggest hit of a 4-1 Brewers win over the D-backs in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday.

Matt Holliday was included on the Cardinals' active roster for their National League Division Series against the Phillies, but the Cards' usual cleanup hitter was not in the starting lineup for Game 1.