NLCS Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies
Maybe it’s not such a good thing that the Philadelphia Phillies just crushed the L.A. Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Why? During the regular season, the Phillies scored 10 runs or more in 18 games. But in the games following those big offensive games, they went just 9-9, and scored fewer than five runs on 10 occasions.
Really tonight’s game could be a potential clincher for the Phillies. If they had held the 1-0 lead they took into the eighth inning of Game 2, tonight’s game could be the finale. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, so they say.
The Dodgers, who are +103 on WagerWeb.com, start lefty Randy Wolf tonight, and he has given some of the Phillies fits in recent years. For example, Phils stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are a combined 2-for-17 with one extra base hit and eight strikeouts in their careers off of him.
Howard set an MLB record in Game 3 by driving in a run for the seventh consecutive postseason game. He has reached base safely in 16 straight postseason games (22 hits, 10 walks). Utley has reached base safely in 23 consecutive postseason games. The streak (22 hits, 21 walks) dates back to Game 2 of the 2007 NLDS after he went 0-for-4 in his first career postseason game. His streak has him tied for second all-time in postseason history with Lou Gehrig – Boog Powell owns the record of 25 straight games.
Wolf is a former Phillie and in fact threw the first-ever pitch at Citizens Bank Park. Wolf had sufficient rest to start one of the Dodgers’ two home games to open the NLCS, but manager Joe Torre elected to hold him back for an appearance at Citizens Bank Park. Wolf had a strong second half for Los Angeles, going 8-4 with a 2.90 ERA in his final 18 starts. He also pitched well in a May 13 start at Citizens Bank Park, holding the Phillies’ NL-best offense to three hits and one run over six innings while striking out eight.
The Phils counter with Joe Blanton. Each of Blanton’s three starts during the 2008 postseason were made during the fourth game of a series. In four regular-season starts against L.A. in his Phillies career, he has gone 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA. He limited the Dodgers to one run and five hits in six innings on June 6. But Manny Ramirez was suspended for that game, and Ramirez has hit .560 (14-for-25) in his career against Blanton.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel picked Blanton over left-hander J.A. Happ for this start. Pitching out of the bullpen, Blanton made two appearances in the NLDS against the Rockies, allowing two earned run in 4 2/3 innings.
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