Over and out for Dodgers

PHILADELPHIA — The coach turned back into a pumpkin. The emperor realized he wasn't wearing any clothes.

Vicente Padilla ran out of magic.

Like that, the Dodgers' season was over, with Manager Joe Torre and his group of miracle workers falling three victories short of the World Series for the second time in as many years.

Again, the Dodgers were turned away by the Philadelphia Phillies in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series in five games, this time dropping the deciding contest by a 10-4 margin at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night.

"It's more disappointing this year than last year in that we felt we were more prepared this year," Andre Ethier said.

Torre said he told his players in a postgame meeting about how proud he was of them. Players exchanged handshakes in the clubhouse. A red-faced and teary Jonathan Broxton, who blew a save in Game 4 that tilted the series in the Phillies' favor, embraced bullpen catcher Mike Borzello in the middle of the clubhouse.

"Two years in a row, getting beat by the same team," Matt Kemp said, shaking his head. "We're all heartbroken right now. Not to make it all the way, we're definitely teasing ourselves."

The three runs the Dodgers scored on solo home runs by Ethier, James Loney and Orlando Hudson were rendered meaningless by the seven runs the defending World Series champions scored on four long balls, including two by former Dodger Jayson Werth.

Never in this series did the Dodgers look like the team that withstood Manny Ramirez's a 50-game suspension, compiled a league-best 95-67 record and swept the St. Louis Cardinals in three games in the NL Division Series.

"We weren't clicking on all cylinders," Casey Blake said. "It would have been interesting if we were."

Blake was two for 19 in the series and left the bases loaded with an eighth-inning groundout that marked the Dodgers' last chance at forcing the series to return to Los Angeles for Game 6.

Rafael Furcal was almost as ineffective, as he was three for 21. Kemp struck out twice to increase his series total to eight and postseason total to 16.

And Ramirez never regained that something that captivated Los Angeles last fall. He had a chance to do so with two out, two men on in the fifth inning and the Dodgers trailing, 6-3, But he was jammed and hit a dribbler back to reliever Chad Durbin, who threw him out to end the inning.