STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS The Roanoke Times

Red Sox first baseman Anthony Rizzo tags out Jose De Los Santos on a pickoff play at first base during a recent game.

UPDATED Sept. 14: The Salem Red Sox announced Monday that if a Game 4 is necessary in their Mills Cup championship series with the Lynchburg Hillcats, the game will begin at 6:05 p.m., a half-hour earlier than originally scheduled.

This is business.

At least that's the way Salem first baseman Anthony Rizzo prefers to look at the Carolina League playoffs.

The Red Sox will play Lynchburg today in the first game of the best-of-five Mills Cup championship series.

"I'm not all rah-rah, jumping up and down in the dugout in the first innings," Rizzo said. "We're not going to win in the first couple of innings."

Rizzo put on the front of a true baseball front office man.

"It's good for the development of us young players to experience playoff baseball," he said. "In Boston, they expect to play deep into October. This'll get us used to that playoff atmosphere, where you have to grind out each at-bat."

Salem had to win 11 of its last 16 games to snare a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. The Red Sox grabbed a spot in the best-of-five Mills Cup championship series by sweeping Winston-Salem in three games in the Southern Division series that was completed Friday.

The Hillcats, which won the Northern Division's first-half title to seal a playoff berth but had the worst record in the North in the second half, lost the opening game of the Northern Division series but came back to win Game 2 before the series moved to Wilmington. The Blue Rocks won Game 3, but Lynchburg's Tony Sanchez hit a two-run homer and Chase d'Arnaud added a solo shot to lift the Hillcats in Game 4 and force a Game 5.

Josh Harrison had a three-run double and an RBI single to give Lynchburg (73-66) a 5-2 win over the Blue Rocks on Sunday and a spot in the championship series.

The Hillcats have two of the top three hitters in the Carolina League in catcher Kris Watts (.291) and first baseman Matt Hague (.291). Shortstop Jordy Mercer leads the 'Cats with 83 RBIs, ranking fifth in the league, and leadoff man and center fielder Jose De los Santos ranks third in the league with 53 steals.

Lynchburg is without closer R.J. Rodriguez, who led the league with 27 saves, but is playing for Puerto Rico in the Baseball World Cup. Ronald Uviedo has taken over the closer role.

"We know each other pretty well," Rizzo said of the Hillcats. "I know in the last series it was playoff intensity for us and it was laid back for them, and they were still giving us a good game."

Salem went 10-10 against Lynchburg, but took three of four from the Hillcats to close out the regular season.

"It's huge in the psych category," Salem manager Chad Epperson said. "No. 1, you really had to win those games to get in, and No. 2, hey, these are the teams we are going to play if we do get in.

"We were already under the gun. We had to win. That gives us a boost. We've played several weeks now where every game we've played mattered.

"And they've answered."

Against the Dash in the Southern Division championship series, Salem got a huge boost from major-league starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who gave up one run in 6 ²₃ innings in the opening game in a one-time rehab start. But it also got widespread standout performances from its regulars.

Kyle Weiland and Seth Garrison, who rank in the Carolina League's top 10 in ERA during the regular season, followed Matsuzaka with solid starts. Reliever Derrick Loop, who ranked third in the league with 18 saves, pitched in all three games without allowing a run.

Third baseman Jon Hee went 7-for-13 with two doubles and four RBIs, including the game-winning two-run double in the 11th inning in Game 2.

"Jonny Hee's playing at a whole 'nother level," said Rizzo, who went 5-for-13 against the Dash. "I think we should switch spots and I should hit second and he should hit third."

Brad Correll blasted two two-run homers. Chih-Hsien Chiang went 4-for-8 with a homer and Zach Borowiak went 5-for-11. Mike Jones hit a two-run homer to win Game 3 in the 10th inning.

"It's going to come down over the next couple days to who's going to be hot," Rizzo said.

The Red Sox, winners of 14 of their last 19 games, have at least a shot at being that team.

"Even when we were losing, it was like 'we're not going to be this bad,' " Rizzo said. "Our starting pitching was good, we just weren't swinging the bats. Once players started stepping up, it we started being pretty good."

"It is different. The drive to win is more. We all want to win a championship ring. ... It's more of a team atmosphere, more of a business atmosphere."