owed per game -- getting three takeaways that included an interce

LOS ANGELES -- It took the Dodgers five games to hit a home run in the NL championship series. Once Adrian Gonzalez powered up for the first one, their dormant offence broke loose. Gonzalez homered twice and Zack Greinke came through with the clutch performance Los Angeles needed in a 6-4 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday that trimmed St. Louis lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff. "Guys werent ready to lose today," said Carl Crawford, who also went deep to help the Dodgers save their season. Los Angeles held on in the ninth, when St. Louis scored twice off closer Kenley Jansen before he struck out pinch-hitter Adron Chambers with two on to end it. The series shifts back to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday night, with ace Clayton Kershaw scheduled to start for Los Angeles against rookie Michael Wacha. When those two squared off in Game 2, the Cardinals won 1-0 on an unearned run. "Weve kind of become Americas team because everyone wants to see a seventh game," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Probably even the fans in St. Louis would like to see a seventh game, so I figure that everybodys for us to win on Friday night." The Cardinals also led last years NLCS 3-1 before losing three straight games to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. "Were looking to do the same thing," Gonzalez said. Desperate to avoid elimination, the Dodgers brought in some Hollywood star power for pregame introductions. Will Ferrell announced their lineup and lent a comic spin to each players name, capping it by introducing Greinke as "todays winning pitcher." Ferrell knew what he was talking about. Greinke got into a bases-loaded jam with none out in the first but escaped with no damage. From there, he pitched seven strong innings and even delivered an RBI single. "That was big. I was real nervous out there with that situation," Greinke said. A.J. Ellis also homered at Dodger Stadium, where it is tougher to clear the fences in the heavy night air. Helped by playing in 82-degree heat on a sunny afternoon, the Dodgers rediscovered their power stroke just in time to extend the series. They hit .274 in three games at home after batting .184 during the first two games in St. Louis. "It was just one of those days that we were a little better, got some runs, good feeling," Mattingly said. The Dodgers regrouped after Greinke squandered an early 2-0 lead just as he did in Game 1, which Los Angeles lost 3-2 in 13 innings on the road. After neither team homered in the first three games for the first time in NLCS history, the big bats came out. The Cardinals used a two-run homer by Matt Holliday and a solo shot from pinch-hitter Shane Robinson to win 4-2 on Tuesday night. This time, Gonzalez went 3 for 4 with two solo homers and three runs scored. His two-out shot in the eighth made it 6-2. "We have a team that can bounce back and do some pretty incredible things out there," he said. The Cardinals tied it at 2 in the third on Carlos Beltrans RBI triple and Hollidays run-scoring double before Yadier Molina grounded into his second inning-ending double play against Greinke. "He wasnt as sharp as he was the first time we faced him," Beltran said. "But guys like that, the best guys in the game, theyre able to regroup and find a way to help their team win." Los Angeles answered in the bottom of the third. Mark Ellis singled leading off but was erased when Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play. Gonzalez followed with the Dodgers first homer of the NLCS, slugging the ball an estimated 428 feet into the right-field pavilion for a 3-2 lead. As he headed toward the dugout, Gonzalez cupped his hands to his ears and wiggled them in a gesture resembling mouse ears. It was an apparent jab at Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who said Gonzalez had done "some Mickey Mouse stuff" in celebrating a double on Monday night. "Its just having fun," Gonzalez said. "Im going to retire them so theyre not talked about once again." Crawford egged Gonzalez on. "Im pretty sure it rubbed them the wrong way and theyre going to use that as some kind of fuel, so you might as well keep doing it," Crawford said, laughing. Gonzalez replied: "Hey, if Carl wants them. Its for him, not for anybody else." After wriggling out of big trouble in the first when Molina bounced into a double play, Greinke allowed two runs and six hits. He struck out four and walked one. "He made his pitches, we made the plays, got out of it," Gonzalez said. "We were able to get run support for him. All he needed was a few runs." Jansen gave up RBI singles to Matt Adams and Pete Kozma in the ninth. A.J. Ellis homered in seventh, sending an 0-2 pitch from Edward Mujica into the left-field pavilion to make it 5-2. Crawford homered with one out in the fifth, extending the Dodgers lead to 4-2. He walloped a 3-2 pitch from starter Joe Kelly an estimated 447 feet into the right-field pavilion. Kelly gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked none. "I made a few bad pitches on heaters and didnt locate that well, and they turned into home runs," he said. "With guys on base, I was going after them and attacking them with the fastball, but theyre good hitters and they put good swings on them and hit them out of the park." Beltrans triple went over the head of Andre Ethier and to the wall in centre, scoring Matt Carpenter, who singled. Holliday followed with a double to deep centre, but that was it for St. Louis until the ninth. "We had a couple of opportunities to do something, and we just couldnt make it happen," manager Mike Matheny said. "These guys have done a tremendous job in those exact same situations all season long. Youre going to have games where you just cant make it happen, and weve got to figure out a way to get it done the next time we get a chance." NOTES: Molina went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. ... Greinkes hit in the second was the third of his post-season career. ... Ramirez, playing with a broken left rib, left after six innings. ... In the three games Ramirez has started with the injury, only two grounders have been hit to him at shortstop. ... The homers by Gonzalez and Crawford were the first given up by Kelly in 24 career post-season innings. He allowed two homers in a game twice during the regular season. ... The Dodgers are trying to become the 12th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. ... Beltrans triple was his first ever in the post-season. ... Former Dodgers star Orel Hershiser tossed out the first pitch on the 25th anniversary of his three-hit shutout against Oakland in Game 2 of the 1988 World Series. Anthony Sherman Womens Jersey . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. Tony Gonzalez Youth Jersey . His brother — Red Lake chiropractor Richard Radford — is en route to Sochi to cheer on his younger brother. "Ive been getting texts from Eric and he just says the atmosphere is amazing, its special,” he said. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Marcus-Allen-Elite-Jersey/ .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Patrick Mahomes Chiefs Jersey .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly. Mecole Hardman Chiefs Jersey .Pete Morelli said the back judge threw a flag on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a pass to Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew in Dallas 24-20 wild-card win Sunday. But the head linesman said there wasnt enough contact and that Hitchens was face-guarding, which isnt a penalty in the NFL.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Oakland Raiders try to win for the first time since last November as interim coach Tony Sparano leads his club against the streaking San Diego Chargers this Sunday at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders have lost 10 games in a row dating back to last season, having not recorded a win since a 28-23 decision in Houston on Nov. 17. Their 0-4 start to this season was finally enough as Dennis Allen was fired as head coach a few days after a 38-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins in London. Oakland has yet to score more than 14 points in a game this season, something Sparano will try to turn around in his second stint as an NFL head coach. He previously guided the Miami Dolphins to a record of 29-32 in nearly four full seasons. He took over in 2008 after the Dolphins were 1-15 in 2007 and led Miami to a mark of 11-5 with a surprising AFC East title. However, a pair of 7-9 campaigns followed and he was fired in December, 2011 after a 4-9 start that included losses in the first seven games. Tony Sparano has a strong presence in this organization, said general manager Reggie McKenzie. His experience and leadership qualities will serve the team well in helping reach the goal of everyone here, which is to win football games. Oakland is winless through its first four games for the first time since an 0-5 start in 2006. The Raiders do have the benefit of some extra work under Sparano having been on their bye last weekend. Were ready to go. Were ready to come back home and play a division game here at home, said veteran linebacker LaMarr Woodley. The Raiders will need to be ready given the Chargers have won four straight since a Week 1 loss to Arizona. They are coming off a 31-0 blanking of the New York Jets last Sunday, holding their opponent to 151 yards of total offense and 1-for-12 on third-down chances. On the offensive side, Philip Rivers passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns before getting a rest late. He completed 20-of-28 pass attempts and connected with tight end Antonio Gates for a pair of first-half scores. Running back Branden Oliver posted 182 yards of total offense and two touchdowns including a game-best 114 yards on 19 carries. He posted the most yards from scrimmage in a game for the Chargers since LaDainian Tomlinson had 197 against Kansas City in 2007. I was very happy with the overall performance of the coaches and players, stated Chargers head coach Mike McCoy. Weve just gotta get it all going and keep it going. The Chargers have won 17 of their last 21 against the Raiders. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Chargers offense comes in having scored at least 30 points in three of their last four wins as Rivers and Gates have become a record-setting duo. The two have combined for 65 touchdown catches, the most in NFL history by a quarterback-tight end tandem. Gates needs only 117 more yards to surpass Lance Alworth (9,584) for the most receiving yards in franchise history. Rivers, meanwhile, has 1,205 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to just one interception over San Diegos four-game winning streak with a 120.0 passer rating in that span. He is 12-4 in 16 career starts against Oakland with 3,716 yards and 23 TDs with 13 interceptions. Rivers has thrived despite some injury issues behind him, with Ryan Mathews (MCL sprain) and Danny Woodhead (broken leg) out. Donald Brown suffered a concussion versus the Jets, leading to Olivers big day. Still, San Diego brought back a familiar face in running back Ronnie Brown, who aappeared in 30 games with the Chargers from 2012-13.dddddddddddd He began this season with Houston before being released last week and joins Oliver and Shaun Draughn in the backfield. Any time you can bring in a veteran player with leadership and knowledge of the game is a plus, McCoy told San Diegos website. Ronnie is a team guy first, a great teammate and a true professional. San Diegos defense comes in ranked third with just 290.8 yards allowed per game and is yielding a league-low 12.6 points per game. The club has not allowed a second-half point in the past two games and has not allowed a point in the fourth quarter since Week 1. The four straight games without giving up a point in the fourth quarter is the second-longest stretch in team history. Three times before the Chargers have not done so in five straight, most recently in 1999. Cornerback Brandon Flowers has picked up in interception in two straight games for San Diego. The Raiders struggling offense sits dead last in scoring (12.8 PPG) as well as in total yards and rushing offense. Oakland is racking up just 61.5 yards per game on the ground, putting pressure on rookie quarterback Derek Carr. Carr completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 146 yards against Miami before exiting with a knee injury, though he appears in line to play this weekend. After losing wide receiver Rod Streater to a foot injury that landed him on the short-term injured reserve, the Raiders claimed former New England wideout Kenbrell Thompkins off waivers. Thompkins caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns over 12 games as an undrafted rookie with the Patriots last season, but was used sparingly over the early portion of the 2014 campaign prior to being placed on waivers on Saturday. Running back Darren McFadden managed just 40 yards on 11 carries versus the Dolphins, while Maurice Jones-Drew returned to action after missing back-to- back games with a hand injury. However, he carried the ball only two times for one yard while catching a pair of passes for another two yards. Obviously, the Raiders would like more production from their backfield. Obviously, Maurice didnt play in a couple ball games, so thats a little bit jaded, a little bit skewed. As far as Darren goes, and watching that, Ive been pleased with the way Darren is running the ball right now, said Sparano. Hes run the ball hard, hes made good reads, hes made good fits. One of the things we have to do a better job of right now is creating more explosive plays in that area. While Oakland ranks fourth in the NFL in pass defense at 207.0 yards allowed per game -- getting three takeaways that included an interception by cornerback T.J. Carrie -- the unit is yielding nearly 160 yards per game on the ground and has also come up with just four sacks from four different players. OVERALL ANALYSIS The task at hand is a big one for Sparano, who gets to try and solve the AFCs top team in his first game as Raiders coach. It also comes in Oaklands first divisional game of the campaign, so there is ground to be made up with an upset win. That probably wont happen. Oaklands strength of defending the pass will be muted by a red-hot Rivers and the Chargers banged-up running game should find some room to move the ball and keep some pressure off the quarterback. The Raiders will need to score points to stay in this one but that will take more than a coaching change. Sports Network predicted outcome: Chargers 30, Raiders 13 ' ' '