The China Mail - Astros advance in MLB playoffs while Phillies rout Atlanta

Jose Abreu belted a two-run homer and Michael Brantley hit a solo homer for the Astros, who reached the American League Championship Series for a seventh consecutive campaign.

"It was a great victory," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "This was a team win."

The Astros defeated Minnesota 3-1 in their best-of-five AL second-round series to book a berth against the Texas Rangers in the best-of-seven ALCS, which starts on Sunday at Houston.

The Astros went 9-4 against AL West division rival Texas in the Lone Star State matchup this season, edging the Rangers for the division crown on the final day of the season.

"They know us and we know them," Baker said. "It's going to be a heck of a series."

Houston has won four of the past six AL finals on the way to capturing World Series titles last year and in 2017.

The Astros are one shy of Atlanta's MLB-record eight consecutive trips to a league finals in the 1990s.

At Philadelphia, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos each smashed two homers in the Phillies' 10-2 romp over Atlanta.

The Phillies, who matched the 2015 Chicago Cubs for the most homers in a single MLB playoff game, grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five second round National League series, which continues Thursday at Philadelphia.

At Minneapolis, Royce Lewis smashed a solo homer off Houston's Jose Urquidy in the first inning, but Brantley answered with a solo homer in the second to equalize.

Houston grabbed a 3-1 lead in the fourth when Yordan Alvarez singled and Abreu smashed a homer, his third in two days, to the upper right-field grandstands.

In the sixth, Minnesota's Edouard Julien smacked a solo homer over the left-field wall off Urquidy to pull the Twins within 3-2.

"It felt amazing," Canadian Julien said. "To feel it off my bat and see it go into the crowd was an amazing moment for me. Really huge."

But Minnesota couldn't manage another hit much less the tying run.

In the ninth, Houston relief pitcher Ryan Pressly, now 13-for-13 in playoff saves, struck out Jorge Polanco, Lewis and Max Kepler to end the game.

- 'A really good win' -

In the NL, Harper belted a three-run homer in the third inning and a solo homer in the fifth while Castellanos smacked solo homers in the third and eighth innings.

"It was good. Just trying to set the tone at home," Harper said. "We just tried to put pressure on them early. This was a really good win."

In a later NL game, Arizona was trying to complete a sweep of the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Braves, who had the best record in MLB this season, fell one game from being ousted by the Phillies in the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the third when Ronald Acuna doubled and scored on an Ozzie Albies single.

But the Phillies equalized on a solo blast by Castellanos.

Singles by Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner set the stage for Harper's three-run homer to right field and J.T. Realmuto added a two-run double as Philadelphia seized a 6-1 edge after three innings.

Harper swatted a towering homer to centerfield in the fifth for his first multi-homer post-season contest.

Atlanta crept within 7-2 in the sixth inning when Marcell Ozuna singled, took second on a walk to Kevin Pillar and scored on Orlando Arcia's single to centerfield.

Turner answered with a solo homer in the sixth while Castellanos and Marsh blasted solo homers in the eighth to create the final margin.

L.Kwan--ThChM