Schilling leads Boston to sweep of L.A. Angels

The veteran pitcher blanked LA for seven innings in the 9-1 win.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brilliant as ever in the postseason, Curt Schilling helped give the Boston Red Sox some time off.

The way they’re playing, maybe that’s the last thing they need.

Schilling worked seven masterful innings, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez homered, and the Red Sox routed the Los Angeles Angels 9-1 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of their first-round AL playoff series.

The Red Sox open the AL championship series at Fenway Park Friday night.

Schilling raised his postseason record to 9-2 in 16 career starts while lowering his ERA to 1.93, having allowed only 25 earned runs in 1161⁄3 innings.

“This is not a solo thing. You’ve got to have a team to make it work. That performance today was as much about John Farrell and Jason Varitek as it was about anything, as far as I’m concerned, and as far as my results,” Schilling said, referring to Boston’s pitching coach and catcher, respectively.

“It’s been an incredibly arduous and long road and a process that’s had its peaks and valleys, but John has stuck with me and worked as hard as I’ve ever had a pitching coach work to get me to where I need to be,” Schilling said. “And Jason was flawless today.”

Vladimir Guerrero and his Los Angeles teammates hit .192 as a team and scored a mere four runs in three games.

“Pitching is everything, and our guys were pitching,” Ramirez said. “In the playoffs, you got to have pitching. Schilling’s the man. He’s got a lot of spirit, he knows what he’s doing out there and he came through for us today.”

Pitching for the first time in 12 days, Schilling scattered six hits while walking one, striking out four and throwing 100 pitches — 76 for strikes.

He was at his best in his final inning of work.

With the Red Sox leading just 2-0, Maicer Izturis doubled to start the Los Angeles seventh, but Howie Kendrick grounded to second, Juan Rivera popped to first and Mike Napoli struck out to end the inning.

The Angels broke the shutout in the ninth against Eric Gagne. Izturis doubled and later scored on Kendrick’s sacrifice fly.

BOSTONLOS ANGELES

abrhbiabrhbi

Pedroia 2b4111Figgins cf4010

Yukilis 1b4011OCbera ss4020

DOrtiz dh3221VGrero rf3000

Hinske dh1000GAndsn lf1000

MRmrz lf2111Willits lf2000

Ellsbry lf1100Morles 1b4000

Lowell 3b4121Izturis 3b4130

JDrew rf4101Kndrck 2b3001

Varitek c4111JRivra dh3010

Crisp cf4012Hyns ph1000

JLugo ss3110Napoli c3010

Quinlan ph1000

Totals349109Totals33181

Boston000200070—9

Los Angeles000000001—1

DP—Boston 1, Los Angeles 3. LOB—Boston 4, Los Angeles 8. 2B—Pedroia (2), Lowell 2 (2), Varitek (1), Figgins (2), Izturis 2 (2). HR—DOrtiz (2), MRamirez (2). SB—JLugo (1). SF—Youkilis, Kendrick.

IPHRERBBSO

Boston

Schilling W,1-0760014

Okajima110010

Gagne111101

Los Angeles

JdWeaver L,0-1542235

Shields201113

Speier1-334410

Oliver2-322200

Moseley110001

JdWeaver pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Shields pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. WP—Gagne. Umpires—Home, Brian Runge; First, Ted Barrett; Second, Tim Tschida; Third, C.B. Bucknor; Left, Gary Darling; Right, Dan Iassogna. T—3:29. A—45,262.