Round 1 of the battle to determine the 4th best team in the Major Leagues was a well-played, and well-pitched, game tonight. An enjoyable game from this neutral perspective.

Nobody in the NL knows how get Manny out.

I got a kick out of seeing a serious conference on the mound with the coach barking his strategy for getting Manny out, and all the infielders present, and Madsen listening with a level of intensity similar to the young Carraclough boy trying to discern from Lassie how he was able to leave the Duke of Rudling to rejoin him, followed immediately by a line-drive. Luckily it was hit right at the 3rd basemen.

Why was it necessary to mention the Red Sox tonight, McCarver? You’re more annoying than Robert Hilburn comparing every new band to Bruce Springsteen.

Rollins had some bad luck tonight on his hard-hit grounders. I hope he knocks a few this series.

Philly has the ability to run the table on LA.

2:36 minutes! Woo-hoo!

Dodger fans – which of your boys do you think will be able to step up to playoff expectations?

Boo.

I wouldn't care if the Phillies went to the World Series, but I'd rather not see a sweep or 4-1 series win. I'd like a compelling series. I'll reserve judgment on whether we'll get that or not until after LA faces a pitcher not named Cole Hamels.

Lowe came completely unglued the inning before the bombs when Ruiz and Hamels got 2-out hits. I don't know if his stuff went to nothing before or after those, but it was a drastic change. And when the guys who could swing came up, they were taking BP. I wonder what happened, if it was the thumb problem FOX hinted at or what.

ALL RIGHT OH YEAH ALL RIGHT OH YEAH ALL RIGHT OH YEAH ALL RIGHT OH YEAH ALL RIGHT OH YEAH ALL RIGHT

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

...wait, what is this song about anyway?

Go [TEAM PLAYING THE DODGERS]!

Nobody in the NL knows how get Manny out.

This, of course, marks quite a change from the AL, where... oh, wait.

Well, earlier this year, there was about a month where he couldn't hit a good fastball. His swing was late every damn time.

Man, before the 2006 season I would have bet money that he would never stay healthy enough for long enough to become an elite starter. Three seasons and 592 innings later and I'm thrilled to have been wrong. He is just a fun guy to watch pitch. Have the Phillies given him a big contract to buy out his arbitration years plus a couple of free agent years? It would make sense to have waited given his pre-2006 injuries, but I would think his arbitration settlement could approach the record.

Nobody in the NL knows how get Manny out.

Tonight the Phillies learned that fastballs down the middle aren't a good approach.

AFAIC, the real story tonight was that baseball really is a game of inches, and not just in terms of pitch location and hitting the sweet spot of the bat. Manny's double in the first inning missed going out by about a foot, after which he was stranded. Furcal's errant throw on the Victorino grounder was an inch away from being an out. I'm sure there's a narrative that sportswriters will sell about the game once the series concludes, but this was perfectly matched a postseason game as I've ever seen.

Howard and Hamels could both break the arbitration record this year. Pat Gillick's successor is going to have to address this. Maybe they can trade Howard for Choo Shin-soo or something.

Of course, if they actually win the World Series (Wow! It's a real possibility!) it will suddenly seem like these petty concerns about the near future don't matter nearly as much.

I couldn't believe that ball in the first didn't go out. Off the bat, it looked like a bomb, and considering the height and where it hit, I guess you could say it was. One has to wonder if Manny admiring the hit cost him third base. There's still no guarantee he scores, but if he's running out the box, there's a good chance he's on third with one out and not at second.

Hamel's injury history wasn't so bad if you looked at the specifics. He had one major surgery, but he also missed time for a freak injury he had in a bar fight. Even in 2006 when he went on the DL, shortly after arriving in the big leagues, it was precautionary, not an actual injury.

He's never really had any chronic problems (except for the back, which seems to be fine with a chiropractor), and has been fine the last two years.

Good game. Enjoyed it.

Yet another "score all their runs in one inning" victory for the Phils. This is probably not a sustainable model.

.......unless Koufax is pitching

I couldn't believe that ball in the first didn't go out. Off the bat, it looked like a bomb, and considering the height and where it hit, I guess you could say it was. One has to wonder if Manny admiring the hit cost him third base. There's still no guarantee he scores, but if he's running out the box, there's a good chance he's on third with one out and not at second.

Is there any other park that ball doesn't leave? It was about 20 feet off the ground 409 feet from home plate a bit to the left of dead center. Probably Manny's old stomping ground, with the huge wall out there. I think it would've cleared Tal's Hill in Houston.

That spacious centerfield doesn't quite make up for all the cheapies in the power allies and down the left field line, but it offsets them enough that people should lay off CBP's bandbox reputation a scosh.

One has to wonder if Manny admiring the hit cost him third base.

IT BEGINS AGAIN

Manny's double in the first inning missed going out by about a foot, after which he was stranded.

Off the bat, it looked like a bomb, and considering the height and where it hit, I guess you could say it was. One has to wonder if Manny admiring the hit cost him third base. There's still no guarantee he scores, but if he's running out the box, there's a good chance he's on third with one out and not at second.

If he doesn't stand there admiring it, he's easily on third base standing up, even with his lack of speed. And considering he later advanced to third on a wild pitch, he would have scored if he had already been on third. Still, it was better than last year in the ALCS when he hit a ball off the RF wall and didn't even get to second, while David Ortiz of all people managed to score from first. If you're going to stand there admiring the trajectory of balls you crush, you should at least be sure they're going to leave the park.

Joe Maddon might bench him for being that lazy.

Dan beat me to it. Manny's goofball antics cost himself a run he should have had. A run which eventually turned out to be critical, by the way.

The Phillies were lucky to win this game. It looks like Lowe hurt his hand when he was batting in the 4th inning. Shortly thereafter he gave up three runs in the only inning where the Phils scored any runs.

Joe Maddon might bench him for being that lazy.

In June, maybe. And this would be a bad idea, why?