Carlos Ruiz

Carlos Ruiz hit a two-out, run-scoring double in the 11th inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies overcame another blown save opportunity by Brad Lidge to defeat the New York Yankees, 4-3. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez each drove in a run for the Phillies. The Phillies were 8-2 on their three-city, 10-day trip and improved to a major league-best 16-6 on the road. Clay Condrey (4-0), the Phillies' sixth pitcher, worked two scoreless innings.

Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m., TBS St. Louis (RHP Kyle Lohse, 14-8, 3.39) at Philadelphia (RHP Roy Halladay, 19-6, 2.35) Game 2: Sunday, 5 p.m., TBS St.. Louis (RHP Chris Carpenter, 11-9, 3.45) at Philadelphia (LHP Cliff Lee, 17-8, 2.40) Game 3: Tuesday, TBA Philadelphia (LHP Cole Hamels, 14-9, 2.79) at St. Louis (LHP Jaime Garcia, 13-7, 3.56) Game 4: Wednesday, TBA* Philadelphia (RHP Roy Oswalt, 9-10, 3.69) at St. Louis (RHP Edwin Jackson, 12-9, 3.79)

Carlos Ruiz had a goal and an assist to lead the Galaxy to a 2-1 exhibition victory over its reserve team, the Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League, at Santa Ana Stadium on Tuesday night. In front of an estimated crowd of 3,000, Ruiz's score in the 56th minute was the game-winner. Two minutes earlier, Adam Frye had tied the score with assists from Ruiz and Brian Mullan. Shaun Tsakiris' goal on a penalty kick in the 13th minute gave the Blue Star a 1-0 lead.

Reporting from Baltimore -- Ruben Amaro Jr. was hired as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies two weeks after the team celebrated the second World Series victory in franchise history. He replaced Pat Gillick, who was voted into the Hall of Fame two years later. Talk about a tough act to follow. "I thought to myself, 'OK, this is a pretty good situation. Just don't screw it up,'" Amaro says nearly three years later. He's done better than that. Backed by ownership that supported a $60-million payroll jump over the last two seasons, Amaro has turned the Phillies into the winningest team in baseball.

Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz won Major League Soccer's goal-of-the-year award for a game-winning volley on July 27 against the Columbus Crew. Ruiz, who led the league with 24 goals in his first season in MLS, collected a cross from the far side by Alejandro Moreno and blasted a right-footed shot from the corner of the six-yard box just inside the left post to beat goalkeeper Jon Busch and give the Galaxy a 2-1 victory. Ruiz received 36% of the 9,175 votes cast online over the past week at www.

Little more than an hour into the Galaxy's game against the Colorado Rapids in Denver on Wednesday night, Los Angeles striker Carlos Ruiz could be seen sprawled on the turf, with referee Ricardo Salazar standing over him. Nearby, Colorado and U.S. national team defender Pablo Mastroeni was angrily demanding that Ruiz be given a yellow card. Salazar complied, and when Ruiz questioned the call, Salazar made a forward-thrusting motion with both hands, indicating that Ruiz had dived.

As expected, Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz was suspended Thursday and fined $1,000 by Major League Soccer for actions that led to a fractured left orbital bone suffered by Kansas City's Carey Talley in the teams' game last Saturday. Ruiz's two-game suspension begins with Saturday's match at New York/New Jersey, but Ruiz was not planning to play against the MetroStars anyway. He is playing with his native Guatemala national team in an exhibition at the Home Depot Center Sunday against Honduras.

Forgive Carlos Ruiz if he somehow scores an own-goal tonight at the Rose Bowl. The rookie Galaxy forward is, after all, only six games into his Major League Soccer career after spending six of the previous seven years with the Galaxy's opponent, CSD Municipal of Guatemala, in an international "friendly" exhibition. "It's going to be very emotional," said Ruiz, a native of Guatemala who is leading MLS in scoring (12 points) and goals (six).

San Francisco 3, at Florida 2: Tim Lincecum pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning to win his fifth consecutive decision. Lincecum (5-1) was lifted after yielding Chris Coghlan's two-run homer in the eighth, which made it 3-2. Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 15th save. at Houston 6, Pittsburgh 4: Matt Kata scored from second base on Miguel Tejada's infield single, breaking a seventh-inning tie. Colorado 7, at St. Louis 2: The Rockies have won four in a row and are 6-4 under Manager Jim Tracy after going 18-28 under Clint Hurdle.

Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz, who is tied for Major League Soccer's lead in goals scored, has returned from an unexcused absence that caused him to miss the Galaxy's 2-1 win over San Jose on Saturday. Galaxy officials initially blamed the Guatemalan Soccer Federation for Ruiz's absence, saying that it did not honor its commitment to return the high-scoring forward within 24 hours of its World Cup qualifying match at Honduras on Sept. 8.

Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game in May. He pitched a no-hitter in his postseason debut. But Brad Lidge said that Halladay's performance in a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night that extended the Philadelphia Phillies' season ranked among his greatest pitching achievements. By itself, Halladay's line in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series wasn't particularly remarkable. He pitched six innings, giving up two runs and six hits. But from the second inning on, Halladay pitched with a mild groin pull.

Jayson Werth said he could sense that something wasn't right with Roy Halladay. He had no idea what. What Werth sensed but didn't know was that Halladay was pitching with a mildly strained groin from the second inning on. For almost five innings, one of the best pitchers on the planet pushed off an injured limb, determined to extend the Philadelphia Phillies' season and regain home-field advantage in the National League Championship Series....

Around the Philadelphia Phillies' locker room, catcher Carlos Ruiz is affectionately known as Chooch. For reasons that aren't clear even to Chooch. "I don't know," he said Saturday. "You'll have to ask them. " Lately, however, some teammates have begun referring to him by another name. "He's the Roy Halladay of catchers," reliever Ryan Madson said. That's a nickname that needs no explanation in a city where Halladay could be elected king. And it speaks volumes about the respect the softspoken Ruiz has won in a clubhouse full of superstars who, with a win Sunday in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series with the Cincinnati Reds, will advance to their third consecutive National League Championship Series.

BOOKS Carlos Ruiz Zafón This Spanish novelist has been living in Los Angeles for more than a decade, but his work reaches far and wide, with millions of copies in 45 countries and 30 languages. His latest book, "The Angel's Game," follows a struggling pulp-fiction writer. Zafón will discuss fiction in a global age with moderator Rick Kleffel. Zócalo Public Square at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave. 7:30 p.m. http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org. MOVIES Friday the 13th Part 3 Comedian Doug Benson hosts this special screening, part of the Cinefamily's Comedy Death-Ray series.

Galaxy and U.S. national team forward Landon Donovan was named Major League Soccer's most valuable player for 2009. Donovan finished ahead of New England Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph and FC Dallas striker Jeff Cunningham to win the award for the first time. He is the second Galaxy player to take the honor. Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz won it in 2002. A nine-year veteran of MLS, Donovan won league championships with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 and 2003 and with the Galaxy in 2005.

Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning gave the Phillies a 6-5 victory over Colorado in Game 3 of the National League division series. The Phillies took a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-five series, with Game 4 today at Coors Field. Cliff Lee will face Ubaldo Jimenez in a rematch of Game 1, where Lee handcuffed the Rockies in a 5-1 win. Carlos Ruiz had quieted the cold crowd with two RBI singles, staking the Phillies to a 5-4 lead, before Troy Tulowitzki tied it for the Rockies with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Carlos Ruiz grew up playing barefoot pickup soccer in the dusty, unpaved streets of Guatemala City's Zone 21 barrio, the lower-middle class Bellos Horizontes. It was a simpler time, Ruiz said, when dozens of children running the streets would make do with whatever the wind blew their way, taping together newspapers, rags and clothing into a makeshift soccer ball to kick around for bragging rights from sunrise to sunset.

BOOKS Carlos Ruiz Zafón This Spanish novelist has been living in Los Angeles for more than a decade, but his work reaches far and wide, with millions of copies in 45 countries and 30 languages. His latest book, "The Angel's Game," follows a struggling pulp-fiction writer. Zafón will discuss fiction in a global age with moderator Rick Kleffel. Zócalo Public Square at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave. 7:30 p.m. http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org. MOVIES Friday the 13th Part 3 Comedian Doug Benson hosts this special screening, part of the Cinefamily's Comedy Death-Ray series.

Raul Ibanez hit a three-run home run, Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard each hit one and the Philadelphia Phillies won their ninth consecutive game, 10-1, over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. Ruiz had a run-scoring double during a four-run fourth inning. Rodrigo Lopez (2-0) gave up one run over six innings to give the Phillies their 13th win in 14 games. The Phillies are on their longest winning streak since 2006 and improved to 23-23 at home.