MAKING A RUN FOR THE PENNANT – The NL West Division Champion Dodgers will take on the NL East Division Champion Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 5:22 p.m. PT.
► Tonight’s game is the first NLCS game at Dodger Stadium in exactly 20 years. Game 7 of the 1988 NLCS vs. New York was on Oct. 12, 1988. Orel Hershiser, who is broadcasting tonight’s game for ESPN Radio, shut out the New York Mets, 6-0 to capture the National League pennant for the Dodgers.
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE’S HOTTEST TEAMS – Since Aug. 30 when the Dodgers started an eight-game winning streak, the team has posted a 22-10 (.688) record, including their three victories in the NLDS. That is the second-best winning percentage in the National League during that period, behind only the Phillies (24-9, .727).
► The Dodgers and Phillies have played 10 games this season and each has been won by the home team, with Philadelphia taking six of the 10.
NO NEED TO PANIC – Prior to this season, the Dodgers had appeared in the National League Championship Series seven times and have never dropped the first two games. However, of the franchise’s 18 World Series appearances, the team has lost the first two games of a Fall Classic seven times. On three occasions have they lost the first two games and come back to win a seven-game series – during the 1955, 1965, and 1981 World Series.
► In all three of those series, the first two games were on the road and the Dodgers rebounded to win three straight at home.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS – The Dodgers were 23-9 (.719) at Dodger Stadium after the All-Star break for the best home record in the Majors in that span. The .719 winning percentage at home in the second half was the club’s second-best since coming to Los Angeles behind only the 1991 squad that went 29-11 (.725) at home after the break.
RECORD-SETTING INFIELD – Tonight’s ceremonial first pitches will be thrown out by Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey, who played together with the Dodgers for a Major League-record 8 ½ seasons. The quartet appeared in four World Series, including the World Championship team of 1981. Lopes currently serves as the first base coach for the Phillies, Garvey and Cey work in the Dodgers’ front office, and Russell works for Major League Baseball’s umpiring division.
BATTLED TESTED – Nomar Garciaparra has appeared in the LCS twice with Boston in 1999 and 2003. The Whittier native batted .400 (8-for-20) with two homers and five RBI in 1999. In 29 career postseason games, Garciaparra is batting .318 (34-for-107) with a .380 on-base percentage, .598 slugging percentage, seven homers, and 23 RBI. He ranks seventh among active players with a .314 career batting average.
THIS DATE IN DODGER HISTORY – On this date in 1985, the Dodgers notched five doubles in Game 3 at St. Louis to tie the club NLCS record set on Oct. 7, 1977.
GETTING ON – Andre Ethier is batting just .222 (4-for-18) in five postseason games this year, but he has reached base at a .391 clip during the playoffs, as he’s drawn five walks. Since August 5, Ethier is hitting .354 with a .439 on-base percentage and .615 slugging percentage.
WHAT A RELIEF – A quintet of Dodger relievers threw 5.2 scoreless innings in Game 2. In five postseason games, the Dodger bullpen has posted a 1.65 ERA (3 ER/16.1 IP). During the regular season, the Dodgers’ relief corps ranked second in the NL with a 3.33 ERA behind only the Phillies (3.19).
BIG GAME JAMES – James Loney went 2-for-4 in Game 2 and has at least one hit in all six of his career postseason games, batting .360 (9-for-25).
SEÑOR OCTUBRE – Manny Ramirez drove in three runs in Game 2 to give him seven during the playoffs and 71 in his postseason career, which ranks second all-time behind Bernie Williams (80). Ramirez has hit safely in 40 of his last 45 postseason games, with a .351 (60-for-171) average during that span. His teams are 58-42 overall in the postseason.
► Ramirez has three homers in his first five playoff games this year. The only other Los Angeles Dodgers to accomplish that feat are Steve Garvey and Ron Cey, who homered three times in the first five games of the 1978 NLCS.
MEDIA MADHOUSE – More than 800 credentials have been issued for the 2008 NLCS at Dodger Stadium. That includes more than 30 daily newspapers from around the country, several wire services and major sports websites, and media outlets from at least eight different countries – the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador.
CATCHING SOME HITS – Russell Martin has a hit in all five postseason games this season and seven of the eight playoff games he’s played in during his career. He has a .313 career postseason average (10-for-32) with five RBI and six runs scored.
► Tonight’s game is the first NLCS game at Dodger Stadium in exactly 20 years. Game 7 of the 1988 NLCS vs. New York was on Oct. 12, 1988. Orel Hershiser, who is broadcasting tonight’s game for ESPN Radio, shut out the New York Mets, 6-0 to capture the National League pennant for the Dodgers.
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE’S HOTTEST TEAMS – Since Aug. 30 when the Dodgers started an eight-game winning streak, the team has posted a 22-10 (.688) record, including their three victories in the NLDS. That is the second-best winning percentage in the National League during that period, behind only the Phillies (24-9, .727).
► The Dodgers and Phillies have played 10 games this season and each has been won by the home team, with Philadelphia taking six of the 10.
NO NEED TO PANIC – Prior to this season, the Dodgers had appeared in the National League Championship Series seven times and have never dropped the first two games. However, of the franchise’s 18 World Series appearances, the team has lost the first two games of a Fall Classic seven times. On three occasions have they lost the first two games and come back to win a seven-game series – during the 1955, 1965, and 1981 World Series.
► In all three of those series, the first two games were on the road and the Dodgers rebounded to win three straight at home.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS – The Dodgers were 23-9 (.719) at Dodger Stadium after the All-Star break for the best home record in the Majors in that span. The .719 winning percentage at home in the second half was the club’s second-best since coming to Los Angeles behind only the 1991 squad that went 29-11 (.725) at home after the break.
RECORD-SETTING INFIELD – Tonight’s ceremonial first pitches will be thrown out by Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey, who played together with the Dodgers for a Major League-record 8 ½ seasons. The quartet appeared in four World Series, including the World Championship team of 1981. Lopes currently serves as the first base coach for the Phillies, Garvey and Cey work in the Dodgers’ front office, and Russell works for Major League Baseball’s umpiring division.
BATTLED TESTED – Nomar Garciaparra has appeared in the LCS twice with Boston in 1999 and 2003. The Whittier native batted .400 (8-for-20) with two homers and five RBI in 1999. In 29 career postseason games, Garciaparra is batting .318 (34-for-107) with a .380 on-base percentage, .598 slugging percentage, seven homers, and 23 RBI. He ranks seventh among active players with a .314 career batting average.
THIS DATE IN DODGER HISTORY – On this date in 1985, the Dodgers notched five doubles in Game 3 at St. Louis to tie the club NLCS record set on Oct. 7, 1977.
GETTING ON – Andre Ethier is batting just .222 (4-for-18) in five postseason games this year, but he has reached base at a .391 clip during the playoffs, as he’s drawn five walks. Since August 5, Ethier is hitting .354 with a .439 on-base percentage and .615 slugging percentage.
WHAT A RELIEF – A quintet of Dodger relievers threw 5.2 scoreless innings in Game 2. In five postseason games, the Dodger bullpen has posted a 1.65 ERA (3 ER/16.1 IP). During the regular season, the Dodgers’ relief corps ranked second in the NL with a 3.33 ERA behind only the Phillies (3.19).
BIG GAME JAMES – James Loney went 2-for-4 in Game 2 and has at least one hit in all six of his career postseason games, batting .360 (9-for-25).
SEÑOR OCTUBRE – Manny Ramirez drove in three runs in Game 2 to give him seven during the playoffs and 71 in his postseason career, which ranks second all-time behind Bernie Williams (80). Ramirez has hit safely in 40 of his last 45 postseason games, with a .351 (60-for-171) average during that span. His teams are 58-42 overall in the postseason.
► Ramirez has three homers in his first five playoff games this year. The only other Los Angeles Dodgers to accomplish that feat are Steve Garvey and Ron Cey, who homered three times in the first five games of the 1978 NLCS.
MEDIA MADHOUSE – More than 800 credentials have been issued for the 2008 NLCS at Dodger Stadium. That includes more than 30 daily newspapers from around the country, several wire services and major sports websites, and media outlets from at least eight different countries – the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador.
CATCHING SOME HITS – Russell Martin has a hit in all five postseason games this season and seven of the eight playoff games he’s played in during his career. He has a .313 career postseason average (10-for-32) with five RBI and six runs scored.
LINEUPS:
Phillies:
Rollins. SS
Victorino. CF
Utley. 2B
Howard. 1B
Burrell. LF
Werth. RF
Feliz. 3B
Ruiz. C
Moyer. LHP
Dodgers:
Furcal. SS
Ethier. RF
Ramirez. LF
Martin. C
Garciaparra. 1B
Blake. 3B
Kemp. CF
DeWitt. 2B
Kuroda. RHP
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