Philadelphia Phillies Baseball Team

For the first two games of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers will head back to Philadelphia, the site of a four-game sweep by the Phillies in late August that started a season-long eight-game losing streak for the Dodgers. But memories of Philadelphia don't necessarily elicit negative emotions for the Dodgers, who were outscored 27-5 by the Phillies in that series.

Joe Beimel was sitting at a table in the middle of the visitors' clubhouse at Chicago on the eve of the Dodgers' first playoff game this year when Ned Colletti took a seat across from him. "How are you doing today?" the Dodgers general manager said. "Doing fine," Beimel said. "See," Colletti said, "we're off to a better start already." They laughed.

PHILADELPHIA -- Aristotle believed patience to be a virtue. Ryan Howard disagrees. And Aristotle might have too, had he, like Howard, led the National League in intentional walks through his first three full seasons. "Baseball's the only game where you can completely take a person out of the outcome of the game," said Howard, who has spent many plate appearances standing in the batter's box watching the opposing pitcher play catch.

PHILADELPHIA -- The National League Championship Series doesn't start until this evening, but Dodgers Manager Joe Torre has already made it clear that he'll be making some changes. Hong-Chih Kuo, who missed the Dodgers' division series sweep of the Chicago Cubs because of elbow problems, will be on the roster to face the Philadelphia Phillies in this round. The Dodgers' other two left-handers, Clayton Kershaw and Joe Beimel, will probably pitch. Kershaw could even start.

PHILADELPHIA -- He has had more nationally televised face time in three days of baseball than in his previous 25 years of life. Cory Wade laughs. "It's actually easier now than when nobody was watching," he said. The Dodgers' unlikely setup reliever, who returns to the stage tonight when his team opens the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, has spent a career with nobody watching.

PHILADELPHIA -- If the Dodgers are worried after losing Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, burning their ace and leaving them needing a win today just to bring the series back to Los Angeles even, they aren't showing it. "This ballclub has come to play every day," Manager Joe Torre said of his Dodgers after they dropped a 3-2 decision Thursday night to the Philadelphia Phillies. "They have a lot of confidence in themselves."

PHILADELPHIA -- For the first time this October, the Dodgers showered and dressed in silence. In the middle of a clubhouse that was suddenly devoid of music, Rafael Furcal shook his head. "This won't be easy to forget," Furcal said. "We lost a game because of it." The Dodgers shortstop was talking about how he sailed the ball over the head of first baseman James Loney when he tried to throw out Shane Victorino in the sixth inning.

PHILADELPHIA -- Through five scoreless innings Thursday, the Dodgers' Derek Lowe was dealing. He'd given up just four harmless singles, allowed only one runner to advance into scoring position and retired nine batters in a row at one point. Which means the Philadelphia Phillies had Lowe just where they wanted him. "We knew if we were going to score, we were going to score late," reliever Ryan Madson said. "So we're just out there waiting for it to happen."

PHILADELPHIA -- His right wrist had been jammed, his body had been tackled, his signs had been changed, his shortstop had uncorked a Hail Mary and his sinker had gone flatter than a church pew. Oh, and Derek Lowe had just given up a game-tying two-run home run to Chase Utley. With most of Philadelphia screaming loud enough to be heard in New Jersey, with flapping white towels turning the Citizens Bank Park seats into a snowstorm, a Dodgers boss jogged to the mound.

PHILADELPHIA -- Chad Billingsley tried to gather himself but couldn't. The game was unraveling for the Dodgers. Perhaps the season was too. But Manager Joe Torre didn't move. He didn't call for anyone to warm up in the bullpen during a four-run second inning that included five consecutive two-out hits. He didn't pull Billingsley when he issued an intentional walk to Greg Dobbs to load the bases in the third.