ANAHEIM http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-a.-j.-pollock-jersey , Calif. (AP) — The Angels are playing out the string, although it’s tough to tell by watching Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.The team’s two biggest stars both shined Friday night in an 8-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics.Trout hit a two-run homer and has reached base safely in nine of his last 10 games while batting .313 with six homers, 11 RBIs and eight walks in that span.Ohtani went 3 for 3 — his fourth three-hit game this season — and is batting .289.“For my money, he’s hands-down Rookie of the Year,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.Taylor Ward added a two-run shot for the Angels (79-81). If they can sweep the weekend series, they would finish with a .500 record in what is widely expected to be Scioscia’s final season after 19 years at the helm.“Any time a team being in the playoffs comes in, it’s always fun to beat a team like that,” Ward said.The Yankees routed the Red Sox 11-6 earlier Friday to clinch home-field advantage in the AL wild-card game, leaving the A’s to travel cross-country to play Wednesday night in New York for the right to face Boston in the best-of-five Division Series.“We’ve played well on the road this year and we’re a power-hitting team and that’s a home run ballpark,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.Mike Fiers (12-8) entered in the second inning for Oakland and was hit hard.Lou Trivino started and threw 11 pitches in the first inning before turning it over to Fiers. He gave up six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings, struck out three and walked two.“I think we have a really good shot and I’m really excited,” Trivino said of the A’s visit to the Bronx.Taylor Cole (4-2) allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings Yasmany Tomas Jersey , struck out five and walked one. Hansel Robles worked the ninth to earn his second save.“Cole is going to be an important piece of a major league bullpen going forward,” Scioscia said. “He’s helped us out a lot.”The Angels took a 3-0 lead in the second.Ohtani singled leading off, went to second when Justin Upton got hit by a pitch and stole third before scoring on Francisco Arcia’s RBI groundout. With two outs, Ward homered to the lower left-field seats, scoring Upton, who stole second.“These games mean the world to us younger guys,” Ward said. “Just trying to leave a footprint.”Trout hit his 39th homer to right field on the first pitch in the third, extending the Angels’ lead to 5-0. That gave Trout the sixth 100-run season of his career and made him the seventh player in major league history with that many 100-run campaigns before age 27.The Angels added a run on Ohtani’s sacrifice fly to the warning track in left in the fifth.Los Angeles made it 7-0 in the seventh on Ohtani’s two-strike infield single to the pitcher near the third-base line, scoring Kole Calhoun, who doubled leading off.The A’s didn’t get a hit until Jed Lowrie singled leading off the sixth against Cole, who promptly retired the next three batters on swinging strikeouts.Oakland broke out for five runs — two on errors — in the eighth to trail 8-5.Matt Chapman singled and pinch-hitter Mark Canha scored on right fielder Jabari Blash’s throwing error. Chapman scored on Lowrie’s RBI groundout.Ramon Laureano was safe at first on an error by Ward at third base, scoring Matt Olson. Marcus Semien’s RBI double brought in Oakland’s other two runs.Angels starter Jaime Barria tossed 4 2/3 hitless innings http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-shelby-miller-jersey , walked a career-high six and struck out four. The right-hander became the first Angels rookie to make 26-plus starts in a season since Scott Schoeneweis made 27 in 2000.SAY HEY, SHOOhtani stole third base in the second inning, giving him the third 20-homer, 10-steal rookie season in Angels history, joining Devon White in 1987 and Trout in 2012.SITTING ON 99Chapman has scored 99 runs and one more would make him the first A’s player with 100 in a season since Nick Swisher had 106 in 2006.UP NEXTRHP Trevor Cahill (6-4, 3.91 ERA) starts for the A’s on Saturday. His six wins and 20 starts coming in are his most since 2013 with Arizona, but he’s tossed five innings or fewer in his last five starts. LHP Tyler Skaggs (8-9, 3.91) makes his 24th start for the Angels. He is 2-5 with a 4.98 ERA in nine career starts against Oakland. The Los Angeles Dodgers regained a foothold in the National League Championship Series on Tuesday as they outlasted the Milwaukee Brewers in 13 innings.Now the series comes down to who can win two of the next three games, with Game 5 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.Each team is in need of a quality start (Wade Miley for Milwaukee and Clayton Kershawfor L.A.) in Game 5 after both their bullpens were stretched out.Thursday's rest day for the trip back to Milwaukee will be welcomed with open arms by the two clubs, with the Game 5 winner likely emerging as the favorite to advance to the World Series. NLCS ScheduleGame 5:Wednesday, October 17, at Los Angeles (5:05 p.m. Chris Owings Jersey , FS1)Game 6:Friday, October 19, at Milwaukee (8:39 p.m., FS1)Game 7:Saturday, October 20, at Milwaukee (9:09 p.m., FS1)**if necessaryOdds (via OddsShark)Game 5Milwaukee (+135; bet $100 to win $135)Los Angeles (-163; bet $163 to win $100)PredictionDodgers in 6The momentum boost earned from the Game 4 win at home will propel the Dodgers into the driver's seat for Game 5 as Kershaw controls the contest.In four of his last six postseason starts, Kershaw hasconceded two runs or fewer, and he's been untouchable at home in his last three playoff outings, giving up one earned run in 19 innings.Kershaw will continue his postseason form against a Brewers team that recorded two hits after the eighth inning in Game 4.The Brewers are hitting .231 in the series, and National League MVP candidate Christian Yelich only has three hits in 16 at-bats (.188).Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesThe combination of an in-form Kershaw and anunderperforming Milwaukee lineup will hand Game 5 to the Dodgers before the series shifts back to Miller Park.Based off what we've seen throughout the NLCS, the Dodgers will rely on Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 6 to toss five or six strong innings before handing the ball over to the setup men and eventually Kenley Jansen.The simple transition from starter to bullpen is going to be helped by a few early runs Archie Bradley Jersey , with Manny Machado once again being the catalyst.Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesBrewers manager Craig Counsell has shown his hand on multiple occasions, and no matter how impressive one of his starters looks, he's insistent on riding his relievers to success.How smart that strategy is at the back end of a seven-game series remains to be seen, but if the Brewers are forced to use up bullpen arms for the majority of Game 5, the day off can only help so much.The performances of Kershaw and Ryu will set the tone for victories, while Machado, who has six hits in 17 at-bats, will end up as the NLCS MVP for his clutch hits in both Games 5 and 6 to send the Dodgers into their second straight World Series. 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