Gonzo: 'Faulty Four' make a serious mess

LOS ANGELES - The visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium was packed after yesterday's game - clogged with players and coaches and the media. Despite the congestion, J.A. Happ looked completely alone.

The part-time starter, part-time reliever was standing in front of his locker in the far back corner. He dressed slowly, then turned around to face a pack of lingering reporters.

"No excuses," Happ said softly. "I didn't execute."

No, he didn't. In the eighth inning, Happ missed his spot with a full count and the bases loaded. The winning run walked home without much effort. And that was that. The Phillies wasted a fine pitching performance from Pedro Martinez, lost the game, 2-1, and allowed the Dodgers to tie the National League Championship Series at one game apiece.

What a disaster. Forget about whatever horror flicks are scheduled to come out this Halloween - the bullpen's combined effort was scary enough to haunt all of us for a while.

If you polled Fightin's fans entering the playoffs, the biggest concern would have undoubtedly been the club's relievers. And with good reason. The team's strength last season has been unmitigated weakness this year - the kind of avert-your-eyes mess that has kept a lot of us up at night. Thing is, most people would have expected Brad Lidge to be the biggest problem, but he's been fine so far.

The same can't be said of the Faulty Four in the eighth inning yesterday. Happ, Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson all made costly mistakes - combining to allow three hits, two walks and two runs that inning.

Charlie Manuel used five pitchers in the eighth, including Chad Durbin. Bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer had to pick up the phone so often that I'm pretty sure he had to ice his arm after the game.

Yeah, Chase Utley blew another double play that would have helped end the inning sooner, potentially saving the bullpen from yet another costly implosion. But relievers ultimately get paid to ignore those mistakes and rescue the team from drowning. Instead, they poked more holes in the U.S.S. Fightin' Phils and everyone went under. Gurgle, Gurgle.

"Close - but not close enough," Happ said. He was talking about the pitch that walked in the winning run, but the statement worked pretty well when applied to the bullpen's entire, awful effort.