Phillies Capture Game 1 in LA

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 15, 2009 Philadelphia 8 LA Dodgers 6 It took just three swings of Philadelphia bats to drive in all the runs the Phillies would need to win game 1 and take home-field advantage away from the Dodgers. Trailing 1-0, after James Loney homered for LA in the second inning off Cole Hamels, Carlos Ruiz took a high fastball from Clayton Kershaw deep to right field for a three run homer, giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead. That was the first big swing. After Jimmy Rollins reached on a fielder's choice and took second and third on wild pitches by Kershaw, Chase Utley walked, setting up the second big swing, this time by none other than Ryan Howard, who laced a double into the right field corner, driving in both Rollins and Utley. All of a sudden, the Phillies led, 5-1. LA battled back in the bottom of the inning, finally getting to Hamels on an Andre Ethier fielder's choice which scored Russell martin from third, and a two-run blast off the bat of Manny Ramirez, which brought the Dodgers back to within a run. In the 8th, after Dodger reliever George Sherrill had walked both Howard and Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez delivered the final, devastating swing for the Phillies, depositing the ball in the right field stands for an 8-4 Philadelphia lead. Ibanez (right) finished the game 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs. The Dodgers again responded, getting two runs off Philly reliever Ryan Madsen, but it was the closest they would come, as Brad Lidge struggled through the 9th, allowing a single and giving up a walk, but, helped by a double play (Utley-Rollins-Howard), closed out the inning, nailing down the save and the Philadelphia win. Game 2 is slated for Friday, at 4:07 pm EDT in LA. Pedro Martinez will take the hill for the Phillies against LA's Vicente Padilla.