Booing Suspended in City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia fans love to boo their teams as much as they love to cheer them, but there will be no booing tonight. The Phillies have advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1993 by defeating the Dodgers tonight, 5-1. The Phillies won their sixth National League pennant in five games, taking the series 4 games to 1.

Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies rolling right off the bat, leading off the ball game with a solo home run off of Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. The Phillies added two more in the third inning, knocking out Billingsley after 2.2 innings. Billingsley, who won 16 regular season games and beat the Cubs in the NLDS, lasted on 2.1 innings in his prior NLCS start in game 2.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels on the other hand was outstanding once again, winning his second game of the series. Hamels, who allowed just 3 runs in the 14 innings, picked up the series MVP award.

Rollins ignited things again in the third with a one out walk and a stolen base. Billingsley struck out Jayson Werth, but walked Chase Utley. Ryan Howard, who had been 2-19 in the series before finishing 6 for his last 12, picked up his first of three hits, an RBI single to right. Pat Burrell added an RBI single for a 3-o lead.

A shoddy Dodgers defense helped put the game out of reach in the fifth. Singles by Werth and Howard put runners on the first and second with one out. Greg Maddux got Burrell to hit a potential double play ball grounder to short, but Rafael Furcal kicked the ball into left field to allow a run to score. After an intentional walk to Shane Victorino loaded the bases, Maddux struck out Pedro Feliz, but Furcal threw away Carlos Ruiz's grounder for a fifth run.

The Dodgers picked up their only run in the sixth on Manny Ramirez's solo home run, his first of the series. Phils' manager Charlie Manuel went to his usual bullpen men to close things out, using Ryan Madson in the 8th and Brad Lidge in the 9th. Nomar Garciaparra fouled out to Ruiz for the final out.

Box Score

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Dodgers Get their Fight on

Payback's a Bitch

The Dodgers didn't show a whole lot of life in the first two games of the NLCS, but last night they showed plenty of fire in a 7-1 win over the Phillies in Los Angeles. It was anticipated there would be retaliation last night after Brett Myers threw a pitch behind Manny Ramirez in game 2. Myers said the pitch slipped, but none of the Dodgers were buying it. When catcher Russell Martin was hit on the hand by a Jamie Moyer pitch last night and later was buzzed by a Clay Condrey fastball, there was no doubt what was going to happen. With a big lead and two out in the seventh, Hiroki Kuroda got retribution by going head hunting for Shane Victorino.

The benches emptied, and although there was plenty of yelling, finger pointing, and shoving, no fights came from it. The benches emptied again when the inning ended and Victorino had some choice words for Kuroda. This was a statement game for the Dodgers and in more ways than one.

LA took care of business early, making 45-yr old Jamie Moyer look twice his age. Already leading 2-0 in the first, Blake DeWitt delivered a bases loaded double to break the game open. Moyer was gone after retiring just one batter in the second inning. Charlie Manuel has to seriously reconsider his decision to have Moyer slated for a possible game 7 should the series go that long.

Once LA took care of their game, they went on the offense to let the Phillies know they will not be pushovers in the series. LA is back in this thing.

Box Score

Manny Being Manny

Evan Roberts of WFAN had some more amusing lines from Manny this morning. According to Manny, he's not likely to sign with the Mets in the off-season, because Shea is not a good hitter's park. Only thing is, Manny forgot the Mets will no longer be playing at Shea.

Manny also said he's looking for a six year deal. One would think that means he wants guaranteed money for those six years and not a shorter deal with options. One would think Manny is nuts and they would be right.

Games 3 and 4

Joe Blanton goes against Derek Lowe tonight as the Dodgers try to even the series. Meanwhile in Boston, the Rays and Red Sox resume their series with game 3. The 4:37 EDT start has Matt Garza going up against Jon Lester.

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Live and Die in LA

Dodgers Prepare to Batten Down the Hatches.

Joe Torre knows what pressure situations are like. He was in plenty of them in New York, going to battle in the playoffs for 12 straight seasons. One of Torre's worst times came in the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox and saw Boston go on to end their 86-year world championship drought. Now Torre is on the other side of the ledger.

With Philadelphia's 8-5 win on Tuesday, the Phillies took a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of seven NLCS series. Of course a Dodger win tonight could turn the momentum in the completely opposite direction. Torre has experience in this situation as well. Down 2-0 to the Braves in the 1996 World Series, the Yankees won three straight games on the road before wrapping up the series at home in game 6.

Torre will have to make better decisions tonight though then he did in game 2. Already trailing 4-2, Torre rolled the dice by sending starter Chad Billingsley back out to start the third inning. The move backfired and the Phillies put four more runs on the board and put the game virtually out of reach.

Hiroki Kuroda gets the call for LA tonight. The Japanese native was 9-10, 3.73 in the regular season and finished off the Cubs in game 3 of the NLDS with 6.1 scoreless innings. Kuroda has allowed just two earned runs in 13 career innings against the Phillies, going 1-0, 1.38 in two starts.

The Phillies will counter with oldest player in Major League Baseball, 45-year old Jamie Moyer. The soon to be 46-year old, went 16-7, 3.71 during the regular season, but took the lone Philly loss to Milwaukee. He allowed two earned runs in four innings and walked three batters. Moyer is just 3-4, 4.80 in 10 career starts against the Dodgers.

The Phillies have the two games to none lead despite the lack of production from potential NL MVP Ryan Howard. The big first baseman is 0-8 in the series and just 2-19 in the post-season.

Manny Ramirez continues to rake for the Dodgers. He's 3-8 in the first two games with a home run and four RBI. The performance comes on the heels of the NLDS where hit .500 (5-10) with a pair of home runs three RBI. He also drew four walks.

"Michael Kay is bashing Torre on the radio today..."

Just a little spoof of the TMKS theme song. For some reason Michael Kay continues to rant against Torre (he blasted for weeks after turning down the Yankees contract offer last off-season), unable, or unwilling, to understand why callers are rooting for Torre in the post-season.

He quickly dismisses any talk that the Yankees disgraced Torre with their offer and continues to point out that Torre is no saint. Okay, Michael...what is it that Torre did to you? Wouldn't come on your radio show (he had a deal with WFAN), blew you off your interviews, kicked your cat? What?

Kay also couldn't understand how fans would root for Torre's Dodgers if they played in the World Series against the Red Sox. "The Red Sox are an American League team. If you root for the Yankees, you're an American League fan. How can you not root for the American League? On top of that how can you root for the Dodgers?"

We paraphrased a bit, but that is the basic lo-down. Kay can't understand that while those listeners who are contemporaries, myself included, still hate the Dodgers (those Garvey-Lopes-Sutton teams in particular), we hate the Red Sox right now a whole lot more. Even when Don La Greca pointed out that the Red Sox would be building a potential dynasty with three championships in five seasons, Kay still didn't get it. "What's the difference? The curse is dead!"

Some people just don't get it, even when they're smacked upside the head with it.

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