will we ever win?

Ooooooooh!

As EMF once sang and Ron Wood once tweeted, the Phillies were (once again) unbelievable tonight in rallying for the win in the ninth. With two on and two outs, Jimmy Rollins smoked a double to the wall in right-center, and Carlos Ruiz rounded from first for the winning run.

They did all this against the Dodgers' fireballer closer Jonathan Broxton who, having retired Werth as the last out in the eighth, looked off his game in the ninth, inexplicably walking Matt Stairs with one out, then hitting Ruiz with a pitch before retiring Greg Dobbs on a humpbacker to third. Broxton was hitting 100 on the radar gun, and went right after Rollins, but J-Roll was able to pull the ball to the gap and that was that.

Stairs homered off Broxton to take game 4 of the 2008 NLCS, and his walk tonight felt just as big. Not sure what Broxton was thinking — did he prefer to just go after Ruiz and the probable pinch-hitter Dobbs? — but he was nowhere close to the plate. I don't think coming in the eighth helped him, as he never goes more than one inning.

NOTES:
• The Ryan Howard legend ascension watch continues. Another homer makes it six this postseason — tying Mike Schmidt for the club record. He's got 14 RBIs, with at least one in eight straight games to tie some old Yankee's record.
• I wouldn't want to be a pitcher tonight, as that ump had a super-small strike zone. He was randomly inconsistent too, and it must be said the Phillies seemed to get more of the breaks on the calls.
• The Phillies bullpen was pretty good tonight, even if it seemed like everyone let at least one guy reach base. Lidge got the win.
• MLB.com = breaking news FAIL.
• I didn't see what he was wearing tonight, but Craig Sager had a burgundy velvet jacket on last night. Pimp.


Hamels against Padilla Wednesday night. If Hamels wants to step it up, this would be a good time.