{"id":405,"date":"2009-10-21T18:44:14","date_gmt":"2009-10-21T22:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=405"},"modified":"2009-10-22T19:15:51","modified_gmt":"2009-10-22T23:15:51","slug":"live-blog-2009-nlcs-game-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=405","title":{"rendered":"Live Blog: 2009 NLCS, Game 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

6:40 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>We’re about 90 minutes from the start of Game 5, and the champagne and ice have already been shipped to Citizens Bank Park in\u00a0anticipation of the Phillies winning their\u00a0second straight National League Championship.\u00a0 Joe Torre’s Dodgers have their backs against the wall in an elimination game on the road, while the Phillies confidence must be at an all-time high\u00a0following yet another how’d-they-do-that win in Game 4 on Monday night.<\/p>\n

The Phils will send Cole Hamels\u00a0to the mound, just as they did in\u00a0the\u00a0Game 5 clincher of\u00a0last year’s NLCS against these Dodgers.\u00a0 That’s about where the similarities end for Hamels.\u00a0 Last year at this time,\u00a0he was the most dominant pitcher on the planet.\u00a0 So far this October, he’s probably been the Phils’ least reliable starter, coming into tonight’s game with a 6.97 ERA in his first two\u00a0games.\u00a0 This is definitely the least-crucial game the Phils have had in the playoffs, but if\u00a0Hamels could come out and dominate the Dodgers, it would not only end this series, but would be a fantastic boost for the pitching staff heading into the Fall Classic.\u00a0 In last year’s\u00a0Game 5, Hamels\u00a0allowed one run in seven innings.\u00a0 Let’s hope for\u00a0a repeat performance.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers\u00a0counter with Vicente\u00a0Padilla, who dominated the Phillies in\u00a0the Dodgers’ Game 2\u00a0win last week.\u00a0 It’s well-documented that Padilla is not the most\u00a0mentally stable person in the world, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to adversity\u00a0on enemy territory in Philly.\u00a0 The Phillie hitters all know exactly what to expect from him now, so maybe they can put some runs on the board early.\u00a0 Maybe there will be a repeat of last year’s Game 5, when Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a home run.<\/p>\n

8:08 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>OK, a note on superstitions here as the game gets started.\u00a0 First off, I’ve worn the same Phillies t-shirt for every playoff game over the last two years.\u00a0 At this point, I’m not sure how much money someone would have to offer me just to have me NOT wear this shirt during a game.\u00a0 I’m pretty sure it would be quadruple-digits.\u00a0 Second, I’m enjoying some Dogfish Head “Punkin Ale” with the game tonight.\u00a0 I also had this beer on Sunday night during the 11-0 win, so that’s a good sign.\u00a0 I made a small misstep though at the start here.\u00a0 I poured the beer into a regular pint glass, instead of my Phillies mug given to me as a groomsman gift for\u00a0Bry’s wedding last year.\u00a0 I’ve made the switch to that mug now, and we’re all set-up for victory in my apartment.<\/p>\n

8:19 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Dodgers stick with the same lineup they used in Game 4 and Andre Ethier comes through with a first-inning homer.\u00a0 Buck Martinez said that Hamels had “good command” of his fastball one pitch after he clearly missed his spot and one pitch before he gave up the homer on a 1-2 fastball in the middle of the plate.\u00a0 Hamels didn’t want to throw the change-up to Ethier for some reason.\u00a0 Ethier kept fouling off fastballs before finally hitting one out.<\/p>\n

8:25 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>I guess it’s a bad sign for the Dodgers that when the cameras showed Padilla in the dugout during the top of the 1st, my girlfriend asked, “Who’s that sweaty, fat guy in their dugout?”<\/p>\n

8:34 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>I guess it was a bad sign!\u00a0 The Dodgers decided they don’t want to pitch to Ryan Howard anymore, but that’s not gonna work against this offense.\u00a0 Padilla ran a deep count against Jayson Werth, then put a series of fastballs in the middle of the plate, before Werth finally pounded one over the right-field fence for a three-run bomb!\u00a0 Now we need Hamels to get the job done.<\/p>\n

8:41 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Hamels gives up another solo shot to a left-hander in the 2nd.\u00a0 As the announcers said, lefties are now 9-14 with 3 homers against him in the playoffs.\u00a0 I wonder if it’s because he’s not throwing enough change-ups to them.\u00a0 A lot of times, lefties are hesitant throw change-ups to left-handed batters, but Cole has to be an exception.\u00a0 That pitch is what makes him so great, and if he makes himself just a fastball-curveball pitcher, he’s going to get hit.<\/p>\n

8:50 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Pedro “Pete Happy” Feliz leads off the 2nd with a\u00a0homer!\u00a0 Looks like we could be headed for\u00a0a shoot-out in this one.\u00a0 When they show the close-up of the Dodgers’ right-handed hitters, there’s a fan over their shoulder with a sign that says, “This guy stinks”.\u00a0 Pretty funny.<\/p>\n

8:58 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Hamels ends a 1-2-3 3rd inning by striking out Ethier on a…change-up.\u00a0 He needs to keep going to it like that.<\/p>\n

9:17 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Heading to the bottom of the 4th, and maybe it won’t be a shoot-out.\u00a0 Neither pitcher has allowed a\u00a0hit since Feliz led off the 2nd with that homer.\u00a0 Though with Hamels already at 76 pitches, the bullpen will be in there before too long.<\/p>\n

9:28 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>A single and double from Werth and Raul Ibanez to start the 4th put the Phils up 5-2 and chase Padilla from the game.\u00a0 You could argue that the Dodgers made a mistake leaving Padilla in the game after the 2nd inning.\u00a0 It was pretty obvious that he didn’t have it tonight and in an elimination game when you have “all hands on deck” in the pen, you can’t afford to see if the guy will pull it together.\u00a0 I’m a big fan of quick hooks in the playoffs, especially when your facing elimination.<\/p>\n

9:50 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Joe Torre may have left Padilla in the game too long, but he managed the 4th inning in a pull-out-all-the-stops manner, bringing in his main set-up man, George Sherrill.\u00a0 Sherrill couldn’t prevent further damage though, hitting Shane Victorino with the bases loaded, stretching the lead to 6-2.\u00a0 Rick Honeycutt has really been wearing out the phone to the bullpen already.\u00a0 And speaking of Honeycutt, seeing him makes me feel really old.\u00a0 I vividly remember watching him pitch, and now he’s pretty damn old looking.<\/p>\n

10:00 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Another underwhelming outing from Hamels comes to an end, as he gives up a pinch-hit homer to Orlando Hudson\u00a0and a double to Rafael Furcal.\u00a0 Hamels goes just 4.1 innings, gives up 3 runs (and is responsible for the runner on 2nd), and will get a no-decision for his efforts.\u00a0 J.A. Happ is on in relief.<\/p>\n

10:17 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Clayton Kershaw, the scheduled Game 6 starter, is on in relief for the Dodgers.\u00a0 Win or lose now, the Phillies have accomplished something.\u00a0 The Dodgers will\u00a0most likely\u00a0be left choosing between Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley for the Game 6 start, if they manage to get there.<\/p>\n

10:21 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>In response to Bry’s comment below (#5):\u00a0 After Manny didn’t run out of the box on that play, I was left wondering if he’s really worth all of the money you have to pay him.\u00a0 I know when he’s producing like he did last year, he is worth it, but he can’t be that dangerous with the bat all the time.\u00a0 He’s a total liability defensively, he can’t run, he doesn’t care in the least about winning.\u00a0 I think the guy’s pretty hilarious, but I wouldn’t want him on my team.<\/p>\n

10:37 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Helluva job by Chad Durbin for 1.1 innings.\u00a0 He hasn’t given up a run in his\u00a05 appearances now in the post-season.\u00a0 We’ll take everything we can get from this bullpen.<\/p>\n

10:45 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Not that he’s the only guy on this team you could say this about, but the legend of Shane Victorino grows a bit more with big 2-run homer to put the Phils up by 5 through 6 innings.\u00a0 For the Dodgers, facing elimination and a 3-1 deficit in the series, that had to be such a deflating hit.\u00a0 A five run hole feels incredibly different than three.\u00a0 The Phils can taste that NL pennant now.\u00a0 But still 9 outs to get.<\/p>\n

10:47 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>And, not to get ahead of ourselves, but the Phillie bullpen is STILL not completely settled and figured out, so how these guys perform in the rest of this game could determine how they’re used in the World Series, you know, if we get there.\u00a0 The way Park has been pitching, he could move into a more important role next week.<\/p>\n

11:07 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Ho hum, just another LONG home run by Jayson Werth.\u00a0 9-3 Phils heading to the 8th.\u00a0 Interesting that Charlie is sticking with Park here in the 8th.\u00a0 Hard to argue with that.\u00a0 I’d honestly like to see Lidge pitch the 9th no matter what.\u00a0 I just want another look at him pitching a whole inning before we head into the next series.<\/p>\n

11:18 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>OK, this is pretty much what I was talking about with the bullpen.\u00a0 Madson comes in and inexplicably walks Manny, with a 6 run lead, then gives up a single to Kemp to score a run.\u00a0 If we win this game (I’ll keep saying ‘if’), Park should move past Madson as our main set-up man.\u00a0 He’s clearly out-pitched him throughout this series.<\/p>\n

11:29 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Madson pulls it together and gets out of the 8th with a 9-4 lead.\u00a0 3 OUTS from the pennant.\u00a0 I’m sure the Yankees and their fans, after a 103-win regular season and cruising through the playoffs so far, are feeling very confident right now.\u00a0 But they have to be fearing this Phillie team a bit.\u00a0 There will be plenty of time to ponder that series if it ends up coming, but no team can have too much confidence going against these Phillies in a playoff series.\u00a0 Or at least they shouldn’t.<\/p>\n

11:52 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>NL CHAMPIONS!!!!! AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!<\/p>\n

12:03 AM:\u00a0 <\/strong>I said coming into this series that I wasn’t going to make the mistake of underestimating the Phillies again, so I picked them to win the series, in 7 games.\u00a0 Well, I underestimated them again it seems, as they take out the Dodgers 4-1, outscoring them 35-16 and, put simply, dominating this series.\u00a0 The ridiculous thing is, they’ve dominated EVERY team they’ve gone up against in these 5 playoff series over the last two years.\u00a0 The Phillies are now 18-5 in the last two post-seasons.\u00a0 Come on, that’s unbelievable.\u00a0 As the great Charlie Manuel just said, “We have one more step to go, and we’re gonna get it!!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

6:40 PM:\u00a0 We’re about 90 minutes from the start of Game 5, and the champagne and ice have already been shipped to Citizens Bank Park in\u00a0anticipation of the Phillies winning their\u00a0second straight National League Championship.\u00a0 Joe Torre’s Dodgers have their … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[629,23,104,590,382,767,222,70,717,210,765,314,432,194,16,360,408,775,218,213,369,760],"class_list":["post-405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mlb","tag-andre-ethier","tag-brad-lidge","tag-chad-durbin","tag-chan-ho-park","tag-charlie-manuel","tag-clayton-kershaw","tag-cole-hamels","tag-dodgers","tag-george-sherrill","tag-jayson-werth","tag-joe-torre","tag-manny-ramirez","tag-orlando-hudson","tag-pedro-feliz","tag-phillies","tag-playoffs","tag-raul-ibanez","tag-rick-honeycutt","tag-ryan-howard","tag-ryan-madson","tag-shane-victorino","tag-vicente-padilla"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}