LOS ANGELES — Phillies manager Charlie Manuel stood by the batting cage Monday, the crack of a bat long the soundtrack of his life. He talked about his days in Colorado Springs, where he’s revered for his Triple-A service. He chatted about old friends and, of course, his wonderfully inspiring current team.
Manuel has aged hard in Philadelphia, where only the Eagles’ quarterback is second-guessed more. His job perpetually hanging in the balance, this aw-shucks genius dug in his cleats, embraced the challenge and his gritty club.
“We are going to be fine. All we have to do is pitch,” Manuel said. “If we can stay in the game, we will hit.”
Just three days after losing his beloved mother, Manuel won the biggest game of his life, guiding the Phillies to a nervy 7-5 victory over the Dodgers.
It left Philadelphia on the doorstep to delirium, its first World Series berth since 1993.
The opportunity presents itself Wednesday in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. That it came courtesy of slugger Matt Stairs, known as “La Bomba” to teammates for his prodigious blasts, was stunning if not oddly fitting for a team that Manuel always believes will do damage offensively.
Minutes after Shane Victorino numbed the 56,800 fans with a game-tying, two-run homer in the eighth inning, Stairs left their mouths agape with a decisive two-run shot into the right-field seats.
“I don’t even remember running the bases,” Stairs said. “I couldn’t hear the crowd, just my teammates yelling from the dugout.”
Stairs is a 40-year-old who has never met an ab cruncher he liked, possessing an endearing everyman quality. “You mean because I am short and pudgy?” he said with a laugh.
But that’s what makes baseball unique. The players aren’t triathletes; they have specialized skills. Put a bat in Stairs’ hands and he’s imminently useful. Acquired from Toronto in August, Stairs has been a valuable bench component. With the scored tied 5-5, Stairs pinch-hit against Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton.
“I left a ball right over the plate, right in his wheelhouse. A mistake,” Broxton said.
Stairs connected on a vintage swing, one that he predicted to his wife would happen earlier in the day. Watching from the visitors’ dugout, Manuel smiled as Geoff Jenkins bear-hugged him when the ball became a souvenir.
It was the defining moment in a game that neither team seemed to want to win. The Dodgers fell behind 2-0 in the first inning when Derek Lowe briefly played the role of Jamie Moyer. He recovered to work five solid innings and openly questioned afterward the decision to take him out.
Still, he left Los Angeles in position to take a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning on Casey Blake’s home run and Ryan Howard’s throwing gaffe on a bunt play. The cushion deflated against a Dodgers bullpen that was thought to have too many arms. On Monday, they had too many problems. Reality pinched reliever Cory Wade, who surrendered Victorino’s two-run blast.
Colorado’s own Brad Lidge then did what Broxton could not by doing something he hadn’t done. He slithered out of an eighth-inning jam to post his first four-out save of the season. He is 46-for-46 in save opportunities, leaving the Phillies one win closer to an unforgettable October.
“I always prepare to warm up because this team can always come back,” Lidge said. “But this one was obviously huge.”
Pen-ultimate failure
In their biggest game of the season, the Dodgers’ bullpen melted down in Game 4 of the NLCS. It was in stark contrast to previous work in the series:
Innings Runs
Before Monday 11 0
Monday night 4 5
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Recap
Key moment
His team trailing 5-3, Shane Victorino silenced thunderous boos with a two-run homer in the eighth off Cory Wade, surprisingly working instead of Jonathan Broxton. Broxton was summoned to clean up the mess and promptly served up the go- ahead blast to Matt Stairs.
Unsung heroes
Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero. This trio formed a bridge to Brad Lidge’s first four-out save of the season.
Up next
The Dodgers canceled today’s workout to try to heal their psychological wounds. They are vulner- able to being closed out Wednesday, given the nature of their first loss to the Phillies at Dodger Stadium this season and Cole Hamels awaiting them.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
