The Boston Red Sox are officially in search of a new manager, recently bringing in Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin for an interview. Mackanin marks GM Ben Cherington’s first potential candidate to replace Terry Francona. (more)

The NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies became the first team to clinch a playoff berth following yesterday’s 6-4 victory over the Houston Astros yesterday at Minute Maid Park. (more)

The Boston Red Sox will switch up the right side of the field for tonight’s game following Tuesday’s 5-0 loss in Philadelphia, shifting David Ortiz to first base and Adrian Gonzalez to right field. Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee threw all nine innings yesterday, conceding just two hits on the night to Darnell McDonald and Marco Scutaro. (more)

Philadelphia Phillies Ace Roy Halladay allowed six scattered hits through nine innings, striking out the game’s final two batters in six pitches to lead his team past the Washington Nationals 3-2 Wednesday night at Nationals Park. The 13-year veteran shutout the Nats all the way until the bottom of the ninth, letting up a pair of RBI singles to Laynce Nix and Danny Espinosa before closing the game himself. “It may be naive, but I never felt in trouble,” said Halladay. “I felt like it was just a matter of making good pitches. There was never a panic or rush feeling.” Ben Francisco grounded out to shortstop in the top of the fourth for Jimmy Rollins to score to give Philadelphia the initial one-run advantage. Placido Polanco then singled to shallow center in the fifth to score Wilson Valdez. Halladay scored Philadelphia’s final run later that inning courtesy of Washington starter John Lannan beaming Ryan Howard. The 8-3 Phillies will matchup with the Nationals once more this Thursday before welcoming the Florida Marlins to Citizens Bank Park for three games over the weekend. Philadelphia Phillies tickets are now available!

Late Monday night, free agent pitcher Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies reached an agreement on a five-year, $120 million contract. The deal is said to also include a vesting option for a sixth year. In a move that can arguably be considered the biggest surprise of the free agent period, Lee reportedly turned down the New York Yankees six-year, $132 million offer, with a player option for a seventh year at an additional $16 million. The Yankees had been considered the favorite to land this year’s most coveted pitcher, especially after the Boston Red Sox made news last week by signing Carl Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez. Early Monday, news had broke that a third “mystery team” had entered the Lee sweepstakes, along with the Yankees and Lee’s former team, the Texas Rangers, but it was unknown who this team was or if it was just a ploy by Lee’s camp to attempt to drive up the offers. As it turned out, that mystery team was Philadelphia, the team Lee pitched for in the World Series in 2009 before being traded to Seattle to make room for Roy Halladay. Perhaps Philadelphia should have been considered a favorite all along, as Lee and his wife, Kristen, grew to love the city during his short time there. When news broke that he was traded, a Phillies executive said the couple was “heartbroken” over the move. Now after one year, two teams, and another World Series appearance, they appear to be back where they wanted to be all along. (more)

Roy Halladay strained his groin but continued to battle on the mound to lead his Philadelphia Phillies to win 4-2 yesterday at AT&T Park, forcing the National League Championship Series to continue at Citizens Bank Park for Game 6. “It was just something to deal with. You make adjustments and pitch your way through it,” said Halladay. “We know we can win. It’s a matter of going out and doing it. We continue to plug away.” In total he let up two runs through six innings to outduel opposing ace Tim Lincecum, who allowed four hits and three runs over seven innings.   Jayson Werth homered to right in the ninth to push the Phillies up 4-2.  He now holds the record for most post-season home runs in franchise history, passing Chase Utley with 11. He is also tied for most playoff homers in the National League, belting an additional two during his time with the Los Angeles Angels. The Giants are confident with the one-game advantage despite Philadelphia’s ability to regain home-field advantage. “With this club, we don’t do anything easy,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “What they’ve been through, they’ll put this behind us. Believe me, under no illusion did we think this was going to be easy playing a great club.” NLCS and World Series tickets are available now with us at Ace!

Juan Uribe came through with the game winning sacrifice fly to lift his San Francisco Giants past the Philadelphia Phillies 5-6 last night at AT&T Park. The National League Championship Series will feature one more contest before shifting back to Citizens Bank Park if necessary. San Francisco currently holds the 3-1 lead. “It seems like all the baseball talk is all East Coast,” said Aubrey Huff, who solidified the W with the final run. “Everybody watching tonight saw exactly how we’ve played all year.” Madison Bumgarner and Joe Blanton both struggled on the mound, letting up a collective six runs and 11 hits through four innings apiece. Tonight’s Game 5 will feature ace pitchers Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay. Games 6 and 7 would be scheduled for October 23rd and 24th if the series continues. Lincecum previously outdueled Halladay as part of their 4-3 Game 1 victory in Philadelphia. “Two of the best arms in the game,” said rookie Buster Posey following his four-hit, two RBI performance. “We’re in a good position. But at the same time, we know anything can happen in baseball.” Check for the best NLDS and World Series ticket deals right here at AceTicket.com!

The Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants are set to meet in this year’s National League Championship Series starting Saturday, October 16th at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are entering familiar territory in light of their ability to reach the NLCS on three consecutive occasions. San Francisco last won the pennant in 2002 and they had not reached post-season play since 2003. “We were fortunate to have come out on top,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy after their Game 4 win on Monday night. “We know it. We knew we had our hands full with the pitching. We’re fortunate to have outstanding pitching, too, and what a job they did.”  Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum is the projected Game 1 starting pitcher for San Francisco. During the regular season he collected a 16-10 record with a 3.43 ERA. His debut NLDS start featured 14 strikeouts and just two hits allowed in a victory over the Atlanta Braves. Roy Halladay will be set to challenge Lincecum on the hill, which should make for the most appealing pitching duel in the 2010 playoffs. Halladay just recently pitched the first post-season no-hitter in over 50 years against the Cincinnati Reds. The 12-year veteran was 21-10 this season with a 2.44 ERA. NLCS tickets are now available right here at AceTicket.com! Complete NLDS Schedule Game 1 Oct. 16 Giants at Phillies 7:30 pm Game 2 Oct. 17 Giants at Phillies 8:00 pm Game 3 Oct. 19 Phillies at Giants 4:00 pm Game 4 Oct. 20 Phillies at Giants 7:30 pm Game 5 Oct. 21 Phillies at Giants 7:30 pm if necessary Game 6 Oct. 23 Giants at Phillies 3:30 pm if necessary Game 7 Oct. 24 Giants at Phillies 7:30 pm if necessary

Roy Halladay struck out eight through nine innings in the midst of his first career post-season start, no-hitting the Cincinnati Reds to lead his Philadelphia Phillies to victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The 13-year veteran became the second pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in the playoffs behind Don Larsen, who tossed a perfect game for the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series. “It’s surreal, it really is,” said Halladay. “I just wanted to pitch here, to pitch in the postseason. To go out and have a game like that, it’s a dream come true.” The Phillies lineup produced all four runs in the first two innings to take the pressure off their ace. Shane Victorino scored the initial run courtesy of a Chase Utley sacrifice fly to right. Victorino came through again in the second with a base hit to center to bring in two runs. Even Halladay contributed from the plate with an RBI single and run scored. “This is what you come here for,” Halladay continued. “It’s a good team, they know how to win. It’s been a great year, a fun year, we obviously have a ways to go.” Game 2 is scheduled for Friday, October 8th at 6:07 PM. Find the best deals for Phillies vs. Reds NLDS tickets right here at Ace!

The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves earned their place in post-season play last Sunday during the final regular season MLB contests. The Giants clinched the NL West Division title after a 3-0 victory over the San Diego Padres as the Braves captured the Wild Card following their 8-7 win against the 2009 NL champion Philadelphia Phillies. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will start on the hill for San Francisco. This season he was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in two starts against the Braves. Derek Lowe was just recently announced as the other Game 1 starter in light of his successful September streak.  The National League Pitcher of the Month earned his rank after going 5-0 with 29 strikeouts while producing a 1.17 ERA. “All that is stuff you look back at in the offseason and go, that was a good run,” said Lowe. “But clearly you want to pitch like this in the postseason. People will remember that more than what you do in September.” The Philadelphia Phillies were able to cruise to another NL East Division title, finishing their 2010 regular season campaign at 97-65. They will matchup with the NL Central winning Cincinnati Reds, a team that hasn’t seen the NLDS in fifteen years. Edinson Volquez will start in the opening game for the Reds. The five-year veteran right-hander has been working hard to regain his strength since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 2009. “It’s an honor for me,” said Volquez. “For me it’s big, because I was out for one year and came back from Tommy John. This is the first game of the playoffs. It’s big-time.” Ace pitcher Roy Halladay will get the start for the Phillies. Check back for 2010 MLB playoff updates. Giants vs. Braves NLDS Schedule: Game 1: Braves @ Giants Thursday, Oct. 7 Game 2: Braves @ Giants Friday, Oct. 8 Game 3: Giants @ Braves Sunday, Oct. 10 Game 4*: Giants @ Braves Monday, Oct. 11 Game 5*: Braves @ Giants Wednesday, Oct. 13 Phillies vs. Reds  NLDS Schedule: Game 1: Reds @ Phillies Wednesday, Oct. 6 Game 2: Reds @ Phillies Friday, Oct. 8  Game 3: Phillies @ Reds Sunday, Oct. 10 Game 4*: Phillies @ Reds Monday, Oct. 11 Game 5*: Reds @ Phillies Wednesday, Oct. 13