The Phillies are one win away from the World Series, and will hand the ball to Cole Hamels to try and get them there.
First pitch is a few minutes away. This is Steve bringing you live updates once again. It looks like a classic Dodgers' crowd right now, as the upper deck at Chavez Ravine is still pretty sparsely populated.
Here's the Phils' lineup:
1. J Rollins, SS
2. J Werth, RF .
3. C Utley, 2B .
4. R Howard, 1B
5. P Burrell, LF
6. S Victorino, CF
7. P Feliz, 3B .
8. C Ruiz, C
9. C Hamels, P
They'll face L.A.'s Chad BIllingsley.
Billingsley is a young guy with a lot of potential, but he still struggles with command pretty often, but he has the type of pitches that miss a lot of bats when he's on. Still, he's inexperienced, and this is and elimination game.
Leadoff home run for Jimmy Rollins. Crushed into the right field stands to give the Phils an early lead for a change.
BIllingsley follows up the homer with a walk to Werth and that will merit a visit from pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. I imagine Billingsley will be on a very short leash tonight, as this is do or die for the Dodgers.
Utley gives the Dodgers a gift, grounding into a double play. Howard's ground out allowed Billingsley to get out of the inning with minimal damage.
Middle of the 1st
Phillies 1 Dodgers 0
Bottom of 1st
Here's your Dodgers lineup, in case you missed the Fonz reading it out on the Fox telecast.
1. R Furcal, SS
2. A Ethier, RF
3. M Ramirez, LF
4. R Martin, C
5. J Loney, 1B
6. C Blake, 3B
7. M Kemp, CF
8. B DeWitt, 2B
9. C Billingsley, P
Phillies pitcher: Cole Hamels
Furcal leads it off with a ground out to Rollins. Ethier pops out harmlessly to Werth in right.
Ramirez comes up with no one on, so Hamels should pitch to him here. There's all kinds of buzz surrounding Manny, and he walks here, but building a lineup around a single masher is no way to win a World Series. The Giants could never do it with Barry Bonds, and unless the rest of the Dodgers' lineup wakes up the Dodgers won't either.
Russell Martin grounds out to third, and his slump continues.
End of the 1st
Phillies 1 Dodgers 0
Top of 2nd
The Bat goes down swinging against Billingsley.
And down goes Victorino swinging. Billingsley may have settled in here. Feliz singles to left to give the Phillies a base runner here.
Ruiz steps in and he's been hot lately. Ruiz pops out to center. Inning over.
Middle of 2nd
Phillies 1 Dodgers 0
Bottom of 3rd
Loney leads off. He's the hottest Dodger other than Manny, hitting .417 this series.
Loney lines one up the middle, but luckily for Hamels and the Phils the Dodgers' lineup gets thin here.
Casey Blake is up, with Matt Kemp on deck. Blake pops up harmlessly to right, bringing up Kemp.
I'm a big Matt Kemp fan, but he's a young player that hasn't developed much strike zone discipline, and as a result he's a streaky hitter. Somebody other than Ramirez needs to get hot for the Dodgers, and some pressure has got to be on Kemp to be that guy.
Kemp singles to right, giving DeWitt a chance. The second baseman grounds into a double-play, which is huge. Now, the pitcher's slot will lead off the next inning.
End of 2nd
Phillies 1 Dodgers 0
Top of 3rd
Hamels to lead off here. I'm feeling a strikeout.
Hamels waves at strike three and takes a seat. I've said it before -- the designated hitter should be brought to the NL. I know it's exciting when a pitcher gets hot at the plate like Brett Myers did, but that doesn't erase the mind-numbing exercise that is the pitcher slot on most days.
Rollins draws a walk from Billingsley.
It never fails. I get up for a minute and the action explodes. After Rollins' walk and a Werth strikeout, Utley walked, and then back-to-back RBI singles from Howard and Burrell put the Phils up 3-0.
Billingsley also gave way to Chan Ho Park.
Bottom of the 3rd
Phillies 3 Dodgers 0
The Phillies are now in the opposite position from what they have been in for two of their wins this series.
It really is a much different mentality for a team to protect a lead, as opposed to coming back as the Phillies have done lately. Momentum swang back in the Phils' favor on Monday night and last Thursday too.
Now the Phillies' offense has to keep scoring, or Hamels has to stay strong for the Phils to keep momentum.
So far, Hamels is holding up his end, retiring pinch hitter Pablo Ozuna, Furcal and Ethier in order.
We'll have a new pitcher for the Dodgers next inning.
End of the 3rd
Phillies 3 Dodgers 0
Greg Maddux in to try and prolong the Dodgers' season here and he gets Ruiz to fly out to right.
I'm not going to lie to you folks, I love baseball, but I kind of wish I was watching the debate right now.
Maddux fans Hamels. I know it's only the 8th and 9th hitters, but Maddux looks like he might be able to keep the Dodgers in this one.
As I said before, the Phillies need to keep scoring here to keep the momentum. Even if Hamels stays sharp, a 3-run lead can vanish quickly.
Rollins strikes out looking. If Maddux can neutralize the Phillies' lineup, then this game will come down to the end. Hamels, despite having an ultra efficient first three innings, likely won't throw a complete game in this one. The Dodgers will be battling down the stretch and will scratch out some runs. The Phils offense is key here, in my opinion.
Middle of 4th
Phillies 3 Dodgers 0
Manny Ramirez grounds the first pitch he sees here to third. Hamels is leading a charmed life tonight.
Russell Martin grounds out. Hamels strikes out Loney for an easy inning against the meat of the Dodgers' order.
I still think he's in for a gritty battle tonight though.
End of 4th
Phillies 3 Dodgers 0
Werth leads off with a single, Utley grounds into a fielder's choice, and Howard singles to right.
The Phils have a rally going, and a couple of runs here would change the complexion of this game in a big way
A 5 or 6 run lead is much much different from a 3 run advantage. It takes several sustained rallies to come back from a 5 run deficit, whereas a 3 run deficit can be overcome with one swing of the bat.
Sometimes it takes a little luck to get to the World Series, and the Phillies just got some. The bat hit a taylor-made double play ball to Furcal, who booted the ball, allowing the 4th run to score. An intentional walk to Victorino gives the Phils chance for a huge inning.
It's up to Pedro Feliz, who bats with the bases loaded and one down.
Feliz waves at strike three, and now the Phils need a base knock from Ruiz to avoid squandering this rally.
The Phils get another stroke of luck here as Furcal throws in the dirt on a routine groundout from Ruiz. Another run scores. I think this one was Loney's fault. Certainly not a perfect throw from Furcal, but Loney needs to scoop that one up.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, Hamels is up. Gotta love the National League.
Hamels grounds out, but the Dodgers face a long road to get back into this one. Clearly, there is something deflated about this team. The offense is looking listless, and the defense has betrayed them tonight too.
Middle of the 5th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 0
Hamels has cruised so far, much to the chagrin of Tommy Lasorda.
Blake with a leadoff single here. Time for the Dodgers to start chipping away.
Kemp doinks a single to left and the Dodgers are showing some signs of life. However, slumping Blake DeWitt and Greg Maddux are up next.
DeWitt hits into a double play, bringing up the pitcher with no one on. What a stinky series DeWitt has had. He left a bunch of guys on last night, and continues to be the plague to Dodgers' rallies.
Jeff Kent pinch hits for Maddux.
Kent strikes out. The Phillies are 12 outs away from a World Series appearance.
End of 5th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 0
Rollins grounds out against James McDonald. Double-play DeWitt has been yanked from the game, with Kent replacing him at second.
Interesting play here to put McDonald in. He is a rookie who debuted in the majors on Sept. 17. He has two quick outs here after getting a ground out from Werth. I still think it's pretty telling that Torre has had to go to McDonald already, maybe the lack of experience will help him here. The Phillies can't have much of a scouting report on the rookie.
Utley and McDonald went to the same high school though they are six years apart. There was an article about the two today in the NY Times, I'm looking for the link to it now.
Middle of 6th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 0
The previously promised link to the McDonald-Utley story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/sports/baseball/14poly.html?ref=baseball
Hamels gets Furcal to ground out. And my previous prediction of this one coming down to the wire is looking a bit dumb right now. The Dodgers appear to be deflated. Fortunately for them, Blake DeWitt has hit the showers, so he can't kill any more rallies.
Ethier flies out to the Bat, and McCarver just referred to him as Pat the Glove, drawing a boo from the newsroom.
Hamels hasn't made many mistakes tonight, but he made one in pitching to Manny Ramirez. Manny just nailed an opposite field home run to give the Dodgers some life.
Ramirez is simply ridiculous. The way he crushed that ball opposite field is something only the special players can do. Even if you're a Phillies fan, you have to appreciate what Ramirez has done this series.
Fortunately for Hamels, Russell Martin has been ice cold lately.
I said earlier that Hamels is leading a charmed life tonight, and he just got a gift from home-plate umpire Mike Winters. Hamels threw an inside fastball on 3-2 to Martin and got the call, drawing Martin's ire. He and Winters exchanged words, and now Martin has to dig in right in front of Winters.
End of the 6th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 1
Howard walks to lead off the inning, and the Bat pops up for the first out.
Victorino singles to right, and the Phils could pile on here.
Feliz strikes out. Rough night for him.
Ruiz hits a screamer foul down the right field line that was dangerously close to putting the Phils up 7-1, but alas, it was foul and Ruiz grounds out to end the threat.
Middle of the 7th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 1
Loney flies out to start the inning. 8 outs away from the pennant.
Victorino hauls in a Casey Blake fly-ball at the warning track. Solid concentration with a lot on the line there. 7 outs left, but Kemp is up. I talked about how Kemp is streaky, and he's 2-for-2 tonight.
Hamels walks Kemp, and now the question is how long do you keep Hamels in here? Obviously he deserves a chance to finish this inning, but do you pinch hit for him? I think you do, but he's been on tonight and its risky to bring a guy in from the 'pen that has been sitting all game.
Hamels walks pinch hitter Garciaparra to bring up Kemp. It might be time to yank Hamels. A gapper would tighten this game up considerably.
Meeting at the mound is over. Old man Kent is up. Hamels is looking off with his pitches. He's nearing the end.
Thanks to new copy editor Dave Miniaci for helping with the blog for a sec while I read our men's soccer late story. PSU downed Cornell 3-1 in men's soccer for those interested.
Kent strikes out, and the Phils only need 6 more outs. I expect a pinch hitter to lead off the inning for Hamels.
End of 7th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 1
Joe Beimel in for the Dodgers. Taguchi pinch hits for Hamels and grounds out to second.
Hamels' final line:
7 ip 5 h 1 er 3 bb 5 k
Hamels for NLCS MVP? He would get my vote, but unfortunately no one is asking me.
Beimel gets pulled after facing one hitter.
Cory Wade comes in. He gave up the homer to Victorino the other night.
Rollins grounds out. Two away.
Werth grounds out. To the bottom of the eighth.
Middle of the 8th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 1
Madson in for the 8th. No reason for Manuel to hold back here. I expect Lidge to see some action tonight.
Furcal hit a broken bat liner to second, Utley makes a diving stab to get out number one.
Ethier flies out to Werth, and Manny bats with no one aboard again.
They just showed Alyssa Milano in the crowd. Boss.
Another great at-bat for Ramirez. He's fouling off pitches here, making Madson work for this out, just as he has all series.
Ramirez hits a squibber up the middle that squirts through for a base-hit. Even when he doesn't make solid contact you still can't get him out.
Martin grounds out to first. A fitting way for him to end his last at-bat in this series, which it will be unless the Dodgers get a miracle.
End of the 8th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 1
Hong-Chih Kuo in for the Dodgers. Utley leads off.
He strikes out. Fox has just named Hamels the player of the game. A little premature, hopefully it doesn't jinx the Phils.
Howard singles to right, the Phillies just keep coming on offense. There have been no easy innings for the Dodgers' pitchers tonight.
Double play for Bruntlett.
To the bottom of the ninth. Time for the Phillies to clinch.
Middle of 9th
Phillies 5 Dodgers 1
Lidge in for the ninth, although it is not a save situation. Loney, Blake and Kemp due up here.
We'll see if Lidge has truly overcome his postseason demons.
Loney drops a bloop into center, and the Dodgers have the leadoff man on. They are not going quietly into that good night.
Blake flies out to Victorino. 2 outs away.
Kemp to bat.
Kemp hits it about as far as you can to dead center. Victorino puts the squeeze on out number 2 with his back at the wall.
Nomahhhh is the Dodgers' last hope.
Garciaparra pops up and the Phillies win the pennant!
Final score: Phillies 5 Dodgers 1.
Lidge gave up some long flies in the ninth, but the park held them and the Phillies hang on for their first pennant since 1993. They haven't wont the World Series since 1980.
Player of the game: Cole Hamels. Hamels has been huge for the Phils, providing them with a legitimate stopper this postseason.
Series MVP: See above.
