NLCS
Phils Win Pennant – Advance to World Series With 5-1 Win Over Dodgers
Thursday, October 16th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to advance to the World Series with a 4-1 series win. Phillies starter Cole Hamels pitched 7 strong innings to win his 2nd game of the NLCS. He gave up only 5 hits and 1 run on a solo home run by Dodgers star Manny Ramirez. Hamels struck out 5 and walked 3 and was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player. Jimmy Rollins set the tone in the 1st inning with a feisty at-bat to lead off the game against Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. After working the count and fouling off several pitches, he struck a solo home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead it would never relinquish. The Phils added 2 more runs in the 3rd inning on RBI singles by Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell. In the 5th inning, the Phils took advantage of 3 Rafael Furcal errors to tack on 2 more runs to extend the lead to 5-0. Ryan Madsen pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless 9th inning to seal the victory for the Phillies. For the Dodgers, Billingsley lasted only 2 2/3 innings giving up 3 earned runs. Billingsley never got into a groove allowing 4 hits and walking 4 while throwing 66 pitches. Manny Ramirez, James Loney and Matt Kemp each had 2 hits for the Dodgers, but they never managed any significant threats that Hamels couldn’t work out of. For the series, Manny Ramirez lived up to his post-season hype – he got 8 hits in 15 at-bats for a gaudy .533 batting average. He hit 2 more home runs, scored 4 runs, and had 7 RBI’s – in each game of the series he drove in a run. His on-base percentage was over .660 and his slugging percentage was over 1.050. Ramirez managed a 8-game hitting streak during the Dodgers’ 2008 post-season run.
The Philadelphia Phillies will represent the National League in the 2008 World Series. The Series will open up on Wednesday, October 22nd in either Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg or at Fenway Park in Boston. Currently, the Rays lead the Red Sox 3 games to 1 in the ALCS.
Unsung Heroes Lead Phils to 7-5 Win Over Dodgers
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Monday October 13th. The Phillies lead the Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 series. Trailing 5-3 entering the 8th inning, the Phils used 2-run home runs by each of Center Fielder Shane Victorino and Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs to vault into the 7-5 lead. Reliever Ryan Madson picked up the win in relief, pitching 1 2/3 inning allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk. Fellow relievers J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge closed the game out for the Phillies, as Lidge picked up his 3rd save of the NLCS. After a shaky 1st inning in which Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed 2 earned runs, he settled down through 5 innings of work to put his team in a good position to win the game. But the bullpen could not hold onto the lead – Hong-Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton each allowed earned runs in relief, while Cory Wade allowed 2 earned runs to take the loss. Manny Ramirez continued his hot hitting – he had 2 hits and an RBI and was walked by the Phillies 3 other times. Dodgers 3rd baseman Casey Blake hit a solo home run in the 6th inning. The Dodgers now have their backs up to the wall – needing to win each of the next 3 games to advance to the World Series. The Phillies will throw ace Cole Hamels in Game 5 of the NLCS on Wednesday October 15th. Hamels won game 1 of the NLCS by allowing only 5 hits and 2 earned runs to the fiery Dodgers offense. The Dodgers will put their season in the hands of Chad Billingsley, who gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits in Game 2 of the ALCS.
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