The Dodgers had it all going their way on Monday night. They battled back from a 2-0 hole after the first, got Randy Wolf to pitch effectively into the sixth, had the bullpen keep the lead safe, and turned the game over to Jonathan Broxton for the save.
All it took was one swing by Jimmy Rollins to flush all of those good vibes down the drain.
With only one out to go, Rollins smoked a fastball into the gap in right-center field that scored two runs, and the Phillies won Game 4, 5-4. The Phillies now have a commanding 3-1 lead in the NLCS.
How did the Dodgers go from guaranteeing a return to Los Angeles to wobbling off the field? A couple of reasons stand out. The first is Broxton's inability to shut down the bottom of the Phillies' lineup. Part of that was due to a four-pitch walk of pinch-hitter Matt Stairs. That's the same guy who torched Broxton last year with a two-run homer in Game 4, breaking a 5-5 tie.
After the walk, Carlos Ruiz, who somehow has becoming a huge thorn in the Dodgers' side to his credit, was beaned on the first pitch. Greg Dobbs softly lined out to Casey Blake at third before Rollins' heroics.
The other reason the Dodgers couldn't taste victory can be traced back to the first inning and home plate umpire Ted Barrett. Rollins singled on the first pitch he saw against Wolf to lead off. Shane Victorino and Chase Utley both popped up for two down.
Then came big Ryan Howard, who we all know as the guy that has an RBI in every postseason game this year. He's really good, and Barrett made sure it stayed that way.
To say that Wolf was squeezed would be an understatement. A couple of clear strikes were missed, running the count to 3-1, before Howard hit a two-run shot. The rest of the night wasn't a whole lot better, as the strike zone was so inconsistent, one has to wonder how in the world this guy got such an important assignment in such a big game.
I'm not one to point the finger at umpires and put all of the blame on them for losses. But with that said, Barrett had one of the worst nights behind the plate in a big game that I can remember. And that's the reality of the situation.
With the Phillies up 2-0 after the first, the Dodgers had an uphill climb, as the Phillies scored 13 straight runs dating back to Game 3. The fourth inning is when they finally woke up.
Matt Kemp was on base from a walk with two down. Manny Ramirez singled to put two runners on. James Loney came through with an RBI single to make it 2-1, and Russell Martin did the same a couple batters later to tie the game.
Kemp had been struggling the first three games, but continued his good night in the fifth. With two outs, he hit a solo homer to dead center for the 3-2 lead, and business was picking up.
Both teams exchanged runs in the seventh. Blake hit an RBI single to shallow right to score Manny to go up 4-2. Following a Shane Victorino triple, Utley singled him home to make it 4-3. It could have been worse, but Manny caught a sinking liner by Raul Ibanez to end the inning, which was actually a really good play.
The Dodgers had a chance to tack on another run in the ninth against Brad Lidge. Rafael Furcal singled, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Andre Ethier was then called out on a pitch clearly outside, which further added to Barrett's terrible night.
Ronald Belisario, Hong-Chih Kuo, and George Sherrill all got big outs in 2 and 1/3 innings of no runs. But Broxton, who had 36 saves in the regular season and two in this year's playoffs, simply could not close the door.
The Dodgers now have the unenviable task of facing Cole Hamels, Pedro Martinez, and Cliff Lee in the next three games. Of course, they need to get wins in the first two to get there. It's a tough road, but the Dodgers have no choice.
Vicente Padilla will be given the ball in Game 5 on Wednesday night, which is the right call. He's been phenomenal in his two starts, so Joe Torre has to go with his hottest pitcher. The Dodgers did get some runs off of Hamels, so it's a winnable game.
It's never an easy game in Philly, but we'll see what the Dodgers are made of now. At least Barrett won't be behind the plate.
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