--LHP Jamie Moyer, 46, became the oldest pitcher to start at LCS game Sunday night. But he faced a Dodgers lineup stacked with hitters who have had success against him, and he allowed five first-inning runs to put the Phillies in an insurmountable hole. In five career playoff starts before this year, Moyer was 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA. This season, he's 0-2 and has allowed eight runs in 5 1/3 innings for a 13.50 ERA. Both of the Phillies' postseason losses have come in Moyer's starts. "They hit some pretty good pitches," Moyer said. "They were able to take advantage. They got some guys on base, and they kept it going."
--1B Ryan Howard went hitless in eight at-bats in the first two games of the NLCS, leaving Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to draw the following conclusion: Howard is trying too hard. "He's got to be patient enough to stand there and get a good ball to hit," Manuel said Sunday before Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. "It's a matter of time before he starts seeing the ball." Howard collected his first hits of the series, a leadoff double in the second inning and a single in the seventh. Problem solved? "I was just trying to see some pitches," Howard said. "Luckily, I got a couple to hit." --LHP J.C. Romero gingerly walked off the mound after recording the final out of the eighth inning, apparently injuring his leg. "I just landed the wrong way," Romero said. "I had a little twist in my ankle. But I'm fine."
--RHP Joe Blanton already was feeling pressure to prove himself to his new teammates after being traded to the Phillies in mid-July. Then, in his first start, he had to oppose Mets ace Johan Santana in a first-place showdown at Shea Stadium. Welcome to the Phillies. "My first start was pretty big," said Blanton, the Phillies' starter Monday night in Game 4. "As far as the Mets-Phillies go, it's a big rivalry. It got magnified real quick. And I think, after that, it was almost just kind of downhill. Everything just kind of flowed into place." Blanton went 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA in 13 regular-season starts for the Phillies, then allowed one run and struck out seven in six innings of the clinching victory in Game 4 of the Division Series against the Brewers.
--RHP Brett Myers, who sprained his left ankle while running the bases during Game 2, said he will make his next start, scheduled for Game 6 on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Myers said his ankle is sore and stiff, but he expects the additional rest to help him heal.
BY THE NUMBERS: 10 -- Career home runs hit by Manny Ramirez against Phillies starter Jamie Moyer. It's the most homers Moyer has allowed to any hitter in his 23-year career.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Everybody knew coming out here wasn't going to be easy. Everybody knew it wasn't going to be four-up, four-down. It's a tough environment, but we're still on top. We're still in a good position." -- LHP J.C. Romero
