SportsDystopia

In a series containing both the best lineup in baseball in Philadelphia, and the best hitter in postseason history in the Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez, no one could have predicted that the offensive difference in game 2 of the NLCS would be a pitcher who was hitting .111 for his career.  And yet somehow, that was exactly what had happened when the dust had settled on Friday evening, as the Phillies had won 8-5 to take a 2-0 series lead to Los Angeles.

Phillies starter Brett Myers had only 4 hits and 1 RBI all season, but in this game, he would go 3 for 3, with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored.  The headlines will tell you that he hit better than he pitched, but the truth is that he didn’t pitch a bad game either, he just made the mistake of going after Manny Ramirez in the 4th inning with what seemed to be a safe 8-2 lead.

There were 2 outs, and the inning should have already been over, but Rafael Furcal had half-swung at a ball in the dirt for strike 3.  The pitch skipped to the backstop, and Furcal alertly dropped the bat and ran to 1st base.  Russell Martin then singled, bringing up Ramirez.  With the count at 1-1,  Myers tried to jam Ramirez inside with a fastball.  Ramirez ripped the pitch over the left-field wall, in spite of not making solid contact (he hit it well below the sweet spot), bringing the Dodgers back to within 3.

I don’t care what the situation is, nobody should be pitching to Manny in October.  Ever.  Intentionally walk him with the bases loaded, if you have to.  At least it’s only going to be 1 run.  Take your chances with the sacks empty, but with runners on, do yourself a favor and pitch to the next man.

The Dodgers wouldn’t get any closer, however.  They had a chance to get back in it with 2 out and 2 on in the 7th.  Casey Blake hit a long drive to center field, to nearly the same spot that Ramirez had doubled to in the 1st inning of game 1.  But Shane Victorino raced back and made a leaping catch at the wall to end the inning.

Brad Lidge picked up his 2nd straight save, making him 45 for 45 on the year, though he had to work harder than he has for most of them.  He walked Ramirez to open the inning, then struck out Andre Ethier before issuing another free pass to James Loney.  He then began relying entirely on his slider, and was able to induce strikeouts by both Matt Kemp and Nomar Garciaparra on pitches below the strike zone.

The Dodgers had their chances all game, but left 11 men on base, and leave Philadelphia in an uncomfortable 0-2 hole.  Philly got 4 scoreless innings out of their bullpen, which at this point looks better than any of the other 3 playoff teams still standing.  The Dodgers might have both the best postseason hitter and manager in baseball history, but they are quickly becoming moot, as the Phillies are firing on all cylinders right now.

On sad notes, Phils manager Charlie Manuel’s mother passed away on Friday morning, and after the game, center fielder Shane Victorino learned his grandmother had also passed.  My condolances go out to both of them.

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