The Game of Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers came back with a vengeance Sunday night as they put an old fashioned butt kicking on the Philadelphia Phillies winning game three of the NLCS in convincing fashion by a score of 7-2. The win in the first game played in this series at Chavez Ravine puts the Dodgers in the win column now trailing Philadelphia 2-1 in the series. Los Angeles seemed to have no trouble figuring out Phillies starter Jamie Moyer who they knocked out of the game in the second inning.

Moyer looked every one of his 45 years out on the mound for Philadelphia Sunday night, as he was totally ineffective. The Dodgers opened up the game scoring five runs in the first. Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake each had RBI singles, and Blake DeWitt came to the plate with the bags juiced, and drove home all three runners with a triple.

Philadelphia got a run back in the top of the second as Ryan Howard led off the frame with a double off Los Angeles starter Hiroki Kuroda. Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz drove him home with a bloop single to right. Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal drove Moyer from the game in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer to left making it a 6-1 ball game.

The game also featured a "bench clearing brawl" in the top of the third, as Kuroda threw a pitch over the head of Philadelphia center fielder Shane Victorino. This was a continuation of an incident that occurred in game two when Phillies starter Brett Myers threw behind Manny Ramirez. After Victorino grounded out to first the two started yelling at each other, and that's when the benches emptied. Is there anything more ludicrous than watching baseball players standing around after they have charged the field, and are trying to figure out what to do next? Of course no punches were thrown (they rarely are) and Manny had to be "restrained" (for dramatic effect.) Then both teams went back in their dugouts and the game continued, that's our National Pasttime!

Kuroda threw six innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits for the win. Moyer went an inning and a third giving up 6 runs on 6 hits. The series resumes Monday night in Los Angeles Joe Blanton will get the start for Philladelphia. Derek Lowe will be on the mound for the Dodgers.