NLCS Game 3: Dodgers 7, Phillies 2
This is no longer the cakewalk it was shaping up to be when we left Philly. Casey Blake said after Game 2 that the Dodgers needed to come out fighting. Well, they almost did so literally. That pitch from Kuroda that barely missed the top of Shane Victorino's helmet in the third inning did a lot of things -- among them, it elicited an official warning from the umpires -- but it mostly sent a message that the Dodgers aren't going to roll over. I feel bad for Chad Billingsley. He is a great kid and a great pitcher who has been caught in the middle of something that frankly isn't his fault, and for some reason, Fox kept showing tight shots of him in the Dodgers' dugout tonight during a game he wasn't even involved in other than as a supportive teammate. Yes, he should have retaliated in Game 2 for what happened to Martin and Manny. But no, he didn't commit some sort of affront to all that is sacred about this grand, old game. This stuff appears to be over now, and this series appears to be shaping up as one for the ages.
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About Inside the Dodgers
Tony Jackson has covered the Dodgers for
the Daily News since 2004 and has covered Major League Baseball on a
regular basis since 1995. He previously covered the Colorado Rockies
and Cincinnati Reds. He is a native of Springdale, Ark., and a graduate
of the University of Arkansas.
Hiroki was THE MAN tonight...looks like he'll start Game 6, right?
Glad you mentioned Chad, Tony. It really seems to me that is all blown way out of proportion. I don't think there's much controversy or that his teammates are upset -- I think Fox really exaggerated. For one thing, poor Chad had such a bad outing he was barely IN that game -- when was he supposed to throw at someone, the 2nd inning? Especially when he was struggling anyway. I sincerely hope there's nothing to that at all, and that his teammates support him. What is most important to them would be for Chad to come back out in Game 5 and pitch like we know he can.
But first thing's first, tonight is huge.
Chad is really getting the short end of the stick. It shouldn't be a big surprise though. Half the people in the media have no idea what they are talking about. We had just taken the lead in game 2 and the last thing we needed to do what hit a guy and let them get a rally going. Of course it ended bad to begin with but I don't blame Chad at all. If he had gotten deeper into the game and we widened our lead then you go after them. The most important thing is to win the game.