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Running diary: Five unkind for Dodgers
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Biggest night of the year here at Dodger Stadium. It’s quite possibly the last time the team plays in front of its home crowd in 2008, for those pessimistic types. Then again, the Dodgers may just be back here for Games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series barring some good luck.
After blowing Monday’s game that would have evened the series, every one from here on out is a must-win. The Phillies will want to end this thing tonight, especially with their ace Cole Hamels on the hill.
Let’s dive right in to this running dairy of Wednesday’s Game 5 of the NLCS. Here’s hoping the Dodgers get a little magic like they did on this day 20 years ago (more on that in a bit).
5:25 - One batter in and another home run by the Phillies. Jimmy Rollins just went deep off Chad Billingsley after running the count full to lead off the game. At this rate, Dodger pitchers are a shoe-in to pitch in next year’s Home Run Derby.
5:35 - For those watching on FOX at home, Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli - aka the Fonz - just introduced the Dodgers starting lineup. “And leading off for the Dodgers, Rafael Furcal….Aaay!!!”
5:45 - Almost on cue, Shane Victorino steps into the batter’s box and gets booed. It’s safe to say he’s officially Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the fans. I mean, somebody has to be. Ever since Barry Bonds decided to retire –err, couldn’t get a contract – Dodger fans really have had no one to vilify. The Flyin’ Hawaiian makes a promising replacement. He is pesky, confident, has dismantled the team in this series and was originally drafted by Los Angeles. Here’s to you, Shane.
5:56 - Welcome to the playoffs Matt Kemp, nice to have you. Kemp’s single to right feels like his first hit since September. I still like the numbers he put up in the regular season, however. Bright future ahead of him.
6:12 - Ryan Howard brings home a run with a single. It’s 2-0 in favor of the Phillies. A couple of more runs and Hamels will be EXTREMELY tough to beat. Billingsley could be on a short leash…Burrell adds another run, 3-0. Watch out.
6:15 - If anybody knows the whereabouts of the regular-season Chad Billingsley, please contact the police. We may have a missing person on our hands.
6:17 - Out comes Torre and here comes the hook. Bills is removed with two outs in the third. I guess it wasn’t a short lease, more like a choke chain.
6:36 - Out of the bullpen, Greg Maddux gets the Phillies to go down 1-2-3 for the first time tonight. He may not have the stuff he once did, but Maddux has been an asset to this team with his knowledge and approach. Whenever he retires, Maddux will have a job as pitching coach waiting with some team.
6:42 - Hamels is crusin’. He has allowed only two hits through four innings of work. Maybe the Phils’ do only need one good pitcher. And yes, that was a knock on Brett Myers and Jaime Moyer.
6:58 - The Dodgers are turning this into a game of Little League. Furcal makes another throwing error, handing the Phillies another run to make it 5-0. Unraveling might be the best way to describe this right now. Maybe the loss in Game 4 is still haunting this team. They definitely don’t look like the same loose bunch of recent weeks.
7:03 - Rally Monkey??? Anybody? Sorry, wrong team, but the Dodgers need something to jump start them.
7:08 - Best thing I have seen tonight - Tommy Lasorda standing down near the dugout waving a white Dodgers flag. Just the fact that it is him doing it makes it all that more funny. Always has been the team’s biggest cheerleader, always will be.
7:17 - On this day 20 years ago, Kirk Gibson hit the now-famed walk-off home run to beat the A’s in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Quite possibly the biggest homer ever hit in this stadium. Well, the Dodgers are going to need a Gibson-esque moment to keep this series alive.
7:26 - Manny Ramirez. Home run. Finally something to cheer about. The guy’s pockets just keep getting fatter with every swing he takes. 5-1 Phillies.
7:43 - Casey Blake steps up to the plate. Is it just me or do you know at least one person that closely resembles this guy. I know two people who bear a striking resemblance. Maybe it’s his common-man looks, I don’t know. Or maybe there is a little Casey Blake in all of us.
7:55 - With two runners on and the Dodgers threatening, Jeff Kent strikes out looking on a bad call to end the seventh. Thanks for the career, see you in Cooperstown.
8:11 - Big Dodger fan Alyssa Milano is shown with the rally towel hanging over her head. She hasn’t looked this unhappy since “Charmed” was canceled.
8:26 - Brad Lidge is on the mound in a non-save opportunity. Sometimes closer’s do weird things when the game isn’t necessarily on the line. Just something to keep in mind.
8:30 - Loney with a single to open the ninth. It’s starting…
8:37 - OK, now it’s over. Nomar Garciaparra pops out in foul territory. Phillies 5, Dodgers 1. Drive safely.
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