Phillies Rout Dodgers, Take 2-1 Series Lead

NFL News - October 19th, 2009 - Written by John

One MLB Matchup you certainly did not want to miss was the Phillies VS. Dodgers. Cliff Lee was brilliant once again, only allowing three base runners in eight innings while striking out 10. But the Phillies didn't require near perfection. The game was over before it even really started. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard each had three RBIs and all nine Phillies starters reached base in an 11-0 mauling of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the NLCS on Thursday.

“We expect to win when we come to the ballpark, and that’s kind of who they are,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

About the only thing that went wrong was when Victorino's bat flew into the stands and struck a fan.

Lee didn't walk a single batter and probably would've finished the game if it were closer and he wasn't high on pitch count. He even got a hit and the Phillies are back in the driver's seat to get to their second-straight World Series. The lefty's legend continues after notoriously being left off the postseason roster in 2007 while with Cleveland. He will be the first to tell you he probably didn't deserve a spot, but somewhere along the way, something major changed. He is 2-0 with a microscopic 0.74 ERA in three starts in the first two rounds.

Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Joe Torre's decision to give Hiroki Kuroda the ball turned to be a foolish one. The righty hadn't pitched since September 28th and had been hampered by a herniated disc in his neck. But he had pitched well against the Phillies in the past, winning both of his two starts and Torre decided to go with him on "feel". But he was tagged right from the outset, surrendering six runs in the first two innings and thousands of televisions clicked off soon after.

Howard had the first crushing blow, what turned out to be the game-winner, ripping a two-run triple to score Victorino and Chase Utley. It extended his RBI streak to seven games, one in each playoff game this year, which is a new postseason record. Jayson Werth then followed with another big fly, hammering a two-run homer to chase home Howard.

Victorino slammed the door with a three-run tater in the eighth which only made it worse for the NL West Champs, who only won one game against the Phillies in last year's NLCS.

“You never want to get your rear end kicked,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “But you don’t toss and turn and wonder if you made the right move. It’s still only one game and we’re in position to tie the series tomorrow.”

To do so, the Dodgers will turn to Randy Wolf, who hasn't gotten the ball since Game One of the NLDS. He earned a no decision in that game, allowing two runs over 3 2/3 innings. But he was roughed up in his last outing against the Phillies. He allowed six runs over six innings to get a loss.

The Dodgers only had one multiple hitter, Manny Ramirez, who had two singles.

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