| NLCS: Phillies vs. Dodgers | |||
| Phillies won series 4-1 | |||
| Game 1 |
Phillies 8, Dodgers 6 | ||
| Game 2 |
Dodgers 2, Phillies 1 | ||
| Game 3 | Phillies 11, Dodgers 0 | ||
| Game 4 | Phillies 5, Dodgers 4 | ||
| Game 5 |
Phillies 10, Dodgers 4 | ||
The Dodgers got to Cole Hamels for the second time this series, but forgot to hold up their pitching end of the bargain, as the Phillies won a slugfest 10-4, to capture their second straight National League pennant, again sending the Dodgers home in five games.
Vicente Padilla, who pitched so well for the Dodgers over the last two months, had his good run come to an end tonight. Padilla couldn't get an out in the fourth inning, allowing six runs on the night.
The Dodger bullpen, which figured to be a huge advantage this series, did not have a good series. In 21 innings, Dodger relievers allowed 13 runs and 32 baserunners, for a 6.00 ERA and 6.48 FIP. The starters didn't do any better, with a 8.72 ERA and 6.75 FIP while averaging a paltry 4.33 innings per start.
Jayson Werth hit two home runs tonight, including a three-run shot to right field in the first inning, after which the Phillies never looked back. The Dodgers staged a rally in the eighth inning, loading the bases with nobody out, but couldn't get closer than five runs.
In the series, the Phillies hit 10 home runs, scoring 23 runs of the long ball. Meanwhile the Dodgers, who hit three solo shots tonight, scored just seven runs on their six NLCS home runs. The Phillies hit four 3-run home runs in the series, compared to none for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have given up 10 or more runs in a game in just nine of their 173 playoff games. Two of those games came in Philadelphia in this series.
The Dodgers have lost seven straight playoff games in Philadelphia. Their last postseason road win over the Phillies was Game 2 of the 1978 NLCS.
Congratulations to the NL Champions, the Phillies, for playing a great series, and earning a well-deserved return trip to the World Series. Ryan Howard, who hit .333/.524/.933 with eight runs batted in in five games, was named the NLCS MVP.
As horrible as this series loss feels, we must remember the Dodgers had a great season. They won 99 games (95 in the regular season, four in the playoffs), but just came up short in their quest to get to their first World Series in 21 years. There are plenty of great memories of this Dodger season, even if they aren't leaping to the forefront of our minds tonight.