Not time to toast Phillies yet, Manny Ramirez says

Kevin Millar, Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon led the Red Sox rodeo in 2004 that came from a 3-0 hole in the ALCS and beat Joe Torre's Yankees. Legend has it the Sox slugged some pregame whiskey shooters to stay loose and end the curse.

Liquor might help, but decent pitching would have done the trick last night. Chad Billingsley, the most promising young arm in the organization, recorded the worst start of his 2 1/2-year career: eight runs, seven earned, just seven outs recorded in an 8-5 loss. That left the Dodgers in an 0-2 hole as the best-of-seven series heads to LA for Games 3, 4 and 5 tomorrow, Monday and Wednesday.

Manny was as cool as ever.

"We'll go home. Play some music," Ramirez said.

He danced around the bases after his three-run homer in the fourth inning cut the Phillies' lead from 8-2 to the final score, extending his postseason home-run record to 27. Now 3-for-8 with four RBI, Ramirez is doing the part for which he was acquired from Boston at the deadline.

Billingsley's homestretch was just as important for the Dodgers, and he won Game 2 of the sweep of the Cubs in the Division Series. He was not the same pitcher last night. It was the worst start

Hitting-impaired Brett Myers, the opposing starter, had three hits off him, the first a second-inning, two-out, RBI single on a nasty cutter that helped enliven a four-run frame. Myers' two-run poke to rightfield was the centerpiece of a four-run third inning.

"That may have unnerved him a little bit," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

"The pitcher had three hits today," Billingsley said, a faint, ironic smile a shadow on his face, recalling the two he surrendered.

Each was followed by more damage, a clear indication of Billingsley's youth.

"Look, I didn't stop the bleeding," said Billingsley, a 24-year-old first-rounder in 2003. "I tried to slow the game down."

So poor was his control last night that he failed when he tried to pay the Phillies back for Myers throwing behind Ramirez in the first inning: "I wanted to. I couldn't get it in enough."

In a happy mistake, Billingsley instead of coming in tight struck out Pat Burrell - which Manny appreciated. Asked if he thought Myers was telling the truth when Myers said the pitch slipped, Manny replied, "How can I believe it?"

He was smiling.

He was alone in his ease. the rest of the faces in the clubhouse were as severe as surgeons.

Torre knows he has a challenge on his hands, with his young club in a spot in which about 80 percent of teams fail to advance. But then, Torre has beaten the odds.

His 1996 Yankees, who opened at home, overcame an 0-2 deficit to the Braves and won the World Series by sweeping the next four games.

"I can speak from experience," Torre said. "Sometimes, when you're in that locker room and in that lineup, you tend to think things are worse than they are."

Things can get worse. Manny has lived that, and he knows the remedy:

Eighty-proof nectar, distilled in Manitoba, sold in a purple velvet bag.

More Manny being Manny

"Now I hit that home run, you think I can get a 6-year deal now?" he joked. "I can run. I hit. I play the outfield. I'm a complete player now."

Given his legendary inconsistencies, maybe he meant, For now.

Kuo OK

He retired 2-3-4 hitters Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard and emerged from the hairy spot unscathed.

"You'd like to put him in a situation that isn't pressure packed, but every out is so important in postseason play," Joe Torre said. "You threw him out there and you hoped for the best . . . I thought his breaking stuff, especially, was a lot sharper than I could have hoped for being that he hadn't pitched for a while."

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