Phillies blow away Dodgers, 11-0
When Cliff Lee pitches well, he imposes his impatience on the entire game. Lee dashes on and off the field, allows for little time between his pitches, and appears in a rush to dismantle his opponent.
And with every postseason start, Lee is building a reputation for hurrying confidently through playoff appearances. After two sparkling performances in the division series, Lee again took hold of a pivotal game tonight. He allowed just three hits, walked none and struck out 10 in eight scoreless innings, as the Phillies devoured the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-0, at Citizens Bank Park. With the win, the Phils took a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
It was a historic night for the pitching and offense. Lee and Chad Durbin combined for the third shutout in Phils postseason history, following Curt Schilling's effort in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series, and Steve Carlton and Al Holland's collaboration in Game 1 of the 1983 NLCS.
The 11-run margin set a record for the most lopsided postseason win in Phillies history.
An offensive romp, highlighted by Carlos Ruiz's continued October excellence, began almost immediately. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth were a combined 3 for 27 in their careers against Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda.
That was representative of the Phils' performance against Kuroda, 0-1 with a 1.95 earned run average in three regular-season starts against them before tonight. The righthander also beat Philadelphia in Game 3 of last year's NLCS, and had allowed just 11 hits and four runs in 25 innings against the Phils, including the postseason.
Because of that history, he seemed a serious threat to the Phils' hopes to take a series lead - although manager Charlie Manuel did not appear to view him that way. "He's due for us to hit him then," Manuel said before the game.
He was right. The top of the lineup hammered Kuroda in the first inning. After Jimmy Rollins flied out, Victorino singled to center. He stole second with Utley batting, and moved to third when Utley singled.
That brought up Howard, whose reputation for postseason drama has grown exponentially this month. As predictable as a Howard strikeout sometimes seems in the early part of a season, RBIs appear virtually inevitable in autumn. This time, Howard drove in Victorino and Utley, bashing a triple to the right-field corner.
Werth followed by manhandling a 2-1 fastball that arrived in the lower part of the strike zone. While rounding first, he raised an index finger in the air, celebrating a home run that bounced off the ivy-covered wall in center, roughly 20 feet past the fence that stands 401 feet from home plate.
The onslaught continued in the second, initiated by another playoff star, Ruiz, who doubled to lead off the inning. After Lee advanced him to third on a sacrifice, Rollins doubled, scoring Ruiz and making the lead 5-0. That brought Dodgers manager Joe Torre out of the dugout, removing the starter who had seemed his best hope.
Gone less than an hour after he began, Kuroda allowed six runs in 11/3 innings. Rollins scored the final one on a Howard groundout off reliever Scott Elbert, who walked two before leaving for Chad Billingsley.
That gave Lee a significant lead, though he has not required one in any of his three playoff starts. Lee allowed just one earned run in each of two stellar division series outings. The six-run lead he enjoyed by the third inning tonight was luxurious by comparison, and Lee took advantage.
In the first six frames, he allowed just two base runners, both singles by Manny Ramirez. Lee finished several innings with dynamic strikeouts: When he fanned Billingsley to wrap up a fast third, he allowed himself a small fist pump while he sprinted into the dugout. Rafael Furcal flailed at a devastating curveball to end the sixth, and Ramirez and Matt Kemp fanned with a runner on second to conclude the seventh.
It has been a strong postseason thus far for Lee, who has reduced Cole Hamels' issues to a minor concern for the Phils, rather than a significant crisis. Acquired in late July from Cleveland to provide the team with an unqualified ace, the lefthander has followed a shaky September with excellent work in the playoffs.
(One of the only troubling moments for the Phils came in the fourth inning. With none on and two out, Andre Ethier grounded to Utley, the second baseman who famously committed two costly throwing errors in Los Angeles last week. That strange trend appeared again tonight; while Utley's throw retired Ethier, it first bounced on the dirt in front of Howard.)
The Phils scored their first runs off Billingsley with two out in the fifth. Raul Ibanez drew a walk, and Pedro Feliz scored him with a triple. Ruiz once again delivered, singling home Feliz to make it 8-0.
Victorino's three-run homer in the eighth iced it.
Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.
