IT WAS THE DARKEST TIME in his professional career, and Jayson Werth will still recall it with little prompting.

He was asked whether playing the Dodgers (again) for a trip to the World Series held any special significance. Werth played for the Dodgers in 2004 and 2005 and would have been in the team's plans much longer if not for an injury that nearly ended his career.

Instead of patrolling the outfield at Chavez Ravine in 2006, he was back home in Illinois wondering whether the shattered wrist he suffered in the first spring training game would ever heal.

"There was probably a couple-month span there where I was sitting at home in Illinois fishing off my boat, not having any idea what was going to happen," he reflected before last night's game. "I had a doctor's visit at the Mayo Clinic scheduled in August, and that was, like, the end of May . . . when I got home. So there was a time frame there where pretty much baseball was done, unless something got taken care of."

Werth did not suffer a traditional wrist fracture, but rather a split tear of the ulnotriquetal (UT) ligament. The injury was diagnosed and repaired by Dr. Richard Berger.

After not playing all season, Werth signed with the Phillies in December 2006, and was penciled in as a fourth outfielder behind Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand and Shane Victorino. He became an everyday player in 2008.

Werth came into last night 1-for-10 in the National League Championship Series, with the one hit a mammoth two-run home run in Game 3. It was precisely that power that was zapped when he was hit by an A.J. Burnett pitch in the spring of 2006. It's not facing the Dodgers that Werth thinks about. It's the blessing to be on the field at all.

"Really, there was a time where I didn't know where I was at as far as my injury and what was going to happen," he said.

Only in America

It was the perfect storm of American commerce in action.

Two scalpers were working the crowd just outside of Citizens Bank Park, when they were approached by a rather attractive blonde. She wasn't looking for tickets, but rather trying to hand out a flier for Daydreams adult club.

"No thanks," said one of the startled scalpers. "But you sure do smell good."

It was good to see one of those guys get rattled, even if for a second.

Manny watch

Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez was greeted with predictable jeers each time he took his spot in leftfield. A number of signs also greeted his arrival each inning. The unofficial award goes to Chris Martin, of Georgetown, Del., who tried to get the attention of the TBS cameras. His sign had a picture of Ramirez with the note Takes Banned Substances.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and scored two runs.

O Dem Golden Cleats

As usual during the postseason, members of the Fralinger String Band greeted fans entering through the leftfield gate.

"We get some requests," saxophonist Scott Wray said, "but most people try to break our [chops]. We don't care. We just keep playing."

Did you notice?

* After first-base umpire Tom Hallion was drilled in the leg by an Andre Ethier line drive in the fourth, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz visited Joe Blanton on the mound to give Hallion time to shake off the injury.

* Chase Utley's sixth-inning single enabled him to pass Yankees legend Lou Gehrig by reaching base in his 24th consecutive postseason game. Baltimore's Boog Powell holds the record by reaching 25 straight times from 1966-71. Utley went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in his postseason debut in 2007 against the Rockies, but has gotten on base at least once in every game since.

* The first-pitch temperature was 48 degrees, which was rather reasonable, compared with the nastiness the weekend's Nor'easter wrought. Still, if that was too nippy, the concession folks were offering hot chocolate for $5. Throw in a shot of brandy or Kahlua for an extra $4.50.

* Mickey Morandini, a second baseman on the 1993 Phillies World Series runner-up, threw out the first pitch to former teammate Milt Thompson.

Speed demon

After Carlos Ruiz scored last night's game-winner from first base on Jimmy Rollins' ninth-inning double, Ryan Howard was asked whether he had ever seen the catcher run that fast. Howard thought for a second and said, chuckling, "Maybe in Clearwater, in the high A minor leagues." *

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