If the Dodgers were a better team this year than last, the Phillies are even better than last year's championship squad.
After suffering a heartbreaker in Game 4, the Dodgers looked to be mentally beaten in Game 5. The final tally was a 10-4 win for the Phillies, as they took the NLCS, 4-1.
Vicente Padilla was given the ball by Joe Torre, as he was 1-0 in his two postseason starts with a 0.63 ERA. Well, that didn't exactly work out as planned, as an early three-run homer by Jayson Werth led to only three innings for Padilla.
Cole Hamels was the Phillies' starter, and he got through Rafael Furcal and Ronnie Belliard with ease to open the game. On a 1-2 count, Andre Ethier lifted a home run to right to give the Dodgers an early glimmer of hope, 1-0.
Considering how well Padilla was throwing this October, the Dodgers had to at least temporarily feel good about taking the series back to Los Angeles. But, that tune would quickly change, and it would never go back.
Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino were both retired to open the bottom of the first. Then, as has been the case too much this series, walks killed the Dodgers. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard drew a couple to set up Werth. Like they've done all season, the Phillies came through in a big spot, as Werth's three-run shot made it 3-1.
James Loney kept the Dodgers close with a solo homer to right to lead off the second, and it was now 3-2. But, a Pedro Feliz homer gave the run right back at 4-2.
Werth again caused some damage with a single to start the fourth. Raul Ibanez quickly doubled him home, and it was 5-2. That was it for Padilla, as Ramon Troncoso was called upon to limit the damage. A walk to Carlos Ruiz (who seemed like Babe Freakin' Ruth in this series) and Jimmy Rollins getting beaned loaded the bases with two down.
Out went Troncoso, and in came George Sherrill, as Torre was desperate to keep the game close. Well, Victorino was drilled, scoring Ibanez to make it 6-2. At least Utley struck out to end the inning.
Orlando Hudson made what was likely his last appearance with the Dodgers by pinch-hitting and blasting a solo homer to left in the fifth, and the Phillies were now up 6-3. A double by Furcal and a walk to Belliard gave the Dodgers a good chance to get the game close.
With J.A. Happ in, Ethier hit an easy fly ball to center for two down. In stepped Manny Ramirez, who was already getting crushed by everyone for showering before the end of Game 4. The Manny of last year would have delivered with a big hit.
The Manny of this year? Not so much. A check swing groundout to Chad Durbin ending the inning, along with any chance the Dodgers had of winning.
The rest of the game belonged to the Phillies, save for an RBI single from Matt Kemp in the eighth. Victorino hit a two-run homer, and Werth added his second one of the game, in addition to Rollins scoring on a wild pitch. The Phillies got a lead and pounded on the Dodgers, while the boys in blue could do nothing about it.
So what exactly went wrong this series? The starting pitching is a good place to begin. Padilla was brilliant in Game 2, Randy Wolf pretty good in Game 4, and that was it. Clayton Kershaw in Game 1, Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3, and Padilla in Game 5 were terrible, and the Phillies took advantage of it all the way.
Things weren't a whole lot better on the offensive side. Loney and Belliard were the only ones to hit over .300. Furcal hit .143 and Casey Blake a pathetic .105. In Blake's case, he looked like he was in slow motion at the plate the whole time, most likely because he never really recovered from some injuries at the end of the regular season.
Then there's the Manny factor. It would be unfair to expect him to go on the tear he did last year, because that's not realistic. But in these last five games, he hit .263 and his only extra-base hit was a two-run homer in Game 1. The Dodgers really needed him to step up. Like his groundout in the fifth, he was a step behind each time.
Now the Dodgers must absorb the lessons learned from another NLCS exit and once again look to get over the hump next season. The ending was a letdown, but let's not forget all of the incredible moments this season. From the walkoffs to the sweep of the Cardinals in the NLDS, there were plenty of reasons to cheer this season.
Not even these last few games can change any of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment