* ALDS

Raul Ibanez lined a tying home run while pinch hitting for slumping Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning, then hit a leadoff homer in the 12th, giving the New York Yankees a stunning 3-2 win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night for a 2-1 lead in their AL division series.

Batting for baseball's highest-paid player, Ibanez homered to right-center with one out in the ninth inning off major league saves leader Jim Johnson to make it 2-all. He connected on the first pitch from Brian Matusz in the 12th.

Ibanez became the first player to homer twice in a postseason game in which he didn't start, STATS LLC said.

Phil Hughes will try to clinch it for the Yankees tonight in Game 4 (4:30 p.m., TBS) of the best-of-five series. Joe Saunders will start for Baltimore.

Baltimore had won 16 straight extra-inning games, and had been 76-0 when leading after seven, before the Yankees stung them.

Athletics 4, Tigers 3: Seth Smith, Coco Crisp and never-say-die Oakland forced a Game 5 of their AL division series against Detroit with their most memorable comeback yet.

Smith hit a game-tying two-run double off closer Jose Valverde in the ninth inning and Crisp capped Oakland's most dramatic comeback yet with a two-out RBI single as the host A's staved off elimination for a second straight night with a victory in Game 4.

The A's rode 14 walkoff wins in the regular season to an improbable AL West title. Those paled in comparison to No. 15, which set up a win-or-go-home Game 5 against Justin Verlander and the visiting Tigers tonight (6:30 p.m., TNT).

Josh Reddick started the rally with a single just under the glove of diving second baseman Omar Infante. Josh Donaldson followed with a double off the wall in left-center and both runners scored on Smith's double. Two outs later, Crisp lined a single and Smith scored when right fielder Avisail Garcia couldn't handle the ball.

* NLDS

Cardinals 8, Nationals 0: Chris Carpenter was every bit the postseason ace he's been in the past for St. Louis.

Taking the mound for only the fourth time in 2012, missing a rib after surgery to cure numbness on his right side, the 37-year-old Carpenter pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning, rookie Pete Kozma delivered a three-run homer, and the defending champion Cardinals won at Washington to take a 2-1 lead in their NL division series.

Three relievers finished the shutout for the Cardinals, who can end the best-of-five series today in Game 4 at Washington (1 p.m., TBS).

Kyle Lohse will start for St. Louis. Ross Detwiler pitches for Washington, which is sticking to its long-stated plan of keeping Stephen Strasburg on the sideline the rest of the way.

Giants 8, Reds 3: Facing elimination again, San Francisco came out swinging. Got a saving relief appearance from Tim Lincecum, too.

Angel Pagan led off the game with a home run, Gregor Blanco and Pablo Sandoval connected later and the Giants won at Cincinnati, evening their NL division series at 2-all.

Lincecum, the two-time Cy Young winner relegated to the bullpen, also delivered. He entered in the fourth with the Giants ahead 3-2, struck out six while giving up just one run in 4 1/3 innings, and allowed his team to pull away.

The Giants can complete an unprecedented comeback today (10 a.m., TBS). No team has recovered from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series by winning three on the road, according to STATS LLC.

Matt Cain, who lost the series opener and has yet to beat the Reds in three tries this season, will start Game 5 against Mat Latos.

The Reds were hoping to start ace Johnny Cueto, but had to drop him off the roster a few hours before Wednesday's first pitch because he was still bothered by a strained muscle in his right side. He won't be available if Cincinnati wins Game 5 and reaches the NL championship series.