Season in Review, Phillies vs. Dodgers

The Phillies clinched a spot in the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row. They will face their opponent from last year's NLCS, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Surely the Dodgers remember last year's five game series victory by the Phillies in Dodger Stadium and will be ready for some payback of their own.

This season the Dodgers took the season series, but it could just as easily gone in favor of the Phillies.

Dodgers win 4-3
5.12 LA DODGERS W 5-3 Preview/Open Thread/Recap
5.13 LA DODGERS L 2-9 Preview/Open Thread/Recap
5.14 LA DODGERS L 3-5 (10) Preview/Live Blog/Recap
6.04 @ LA Dodgers W 3-0 Preview/Open Thread/Recap
6.05 @ LA Dodgers L 3-4 Preview/Open Thread
6.06 @ LA Dodgers L 2-3 (12) Open Thread
6.07 @ LA Dodgers W 7-2 Open Thread

In the first regular season game between the Phillies and Dodgers since their NLCS showdown the previous October the highlight of the night belonged to Phillies center fielder Jayson Werth. In that game Werth abused Dodgers catcher Russell Martin and whoever was on the mound at the time for the Dodgers. Werth stole four bases in the game, including home. Chan Ho Park picked up his first victory of the season and at the time it moved the Phillies into sole possession of second place in the NL East, behind the New York Mets.

On the next night Jamie Moyer took his third shot at career victory #250, but fell short. After taking a 1-0 lead when Jimmy Rollins, hitting fifth in the lineup, hit a solo home run in the second inning it appeared as though Moyer was going to somehow pick up a win, but he hit a wall in the fourth inning, giving up five runs. He would be charged with two more runs in the sixth inning and took the loss as the offense failed to bail him out.

The final game of the series at Citizens Bank Park saw a beauty from Cole Hamels, but it was all for nothing as the bullpen imploded and handed the Dodgers a victory. Hamels, who is likely to start game one on Thursday in Los Angeles, pitched seven complete innings but left the game with a no decision on his line. Although Hamels only allowed one run on seven hits while striking out nine, the offense was kept to just one run on three hits by Chad Billingsley. Trailing 3-1 (Brad Lidge allowed a run in the top of the ninth on two hits in a non-save opportunity) in the bottom of the ninth inning the Phillies put together a rally against Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton. The Phillies scored two runs off of Broxton when Carlos Ruiz smacked a two out double on an 0-2 pitch. But the momentum quickly went back to the visitors, who scored two runs off of Phillies reliever Chad Durbin in the top of the tenth before finishing off the Phillies, 5-3.

The next month the Phillies made a west coast trip to San Diego and Los Angeles. The series opener in Los Angeles saw Hamels once again dominate the Dodgers. The NLCS MVP, who had pitched the clinching game in Los Angeles, threw a complete game gem on 97 pitches, beating the Dodgers 3-0. He allowed just five hits and struck out five batters. For the Phillies, it was a good start for a bad weekend.

Jamie Moyer had a better outing in game two in Los Angeles, but Brad Lidge was unable to preserve the win. After usually defensively sound Pedro Feliz botched a ground ball that would have been the third out in the ninth, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with a bonus at-bat. Andre Ethier ended the game with a double to right field that Eric Bruntlett could not catch up too.

The next day saw more late inning heroics from Ethier on a nationally televised broadcast. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning (Matt Stairs hit a two run double in a pinch hitting situation in the seventh) but Lidge once again was unable to convert the save for a Phillies win. Rafael Furcal hit a solo home run to tie the game that was just out of the reach of Werth who was leaping at the wall for a catch. Durbin once again took the loss when Ethier hit a game winning home run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

In the season series finale between the two teams the Phillies trotted Antonio Bastardo to the mound for his second career start (his first start had come on the same road trip in San Diego). Bastardo threw just five innings but that was enough to pick up the win as the Phillies offense came ready to play. Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz each homered in the seventh inning to push the Phillies lead from one run to four. Park and Ryan Madson combined to finish off the game and earn a series split.