Andre Ethier

Brad Lidge's jaw was clenched tighter than usual yesterday, and his voice was softer. "Maybe I shouldn't feel as confident, I don't know, but that's the only way I know how to do it," Lidge said after the Phillies lost, 3-2, to Los Angeles in 12 innings at Dodger Stadium. The game ended with Andre Ethier's second walk-off hit in two days, this one a home run off Chad Durbin. But Lidge's second blown save of the weekend - and sixth of the season - was more troubling for the team.

1. Miguel Cabrera 2. Andre Ethier 3. Roy Halladay 4. Ubaldo Jimenez

J.C. Romero has a new partner. Looking for another lefthanded reliever to help combat the dangerous Dodgers duo of James Loney and Andre Ethier, the Phillies have called up 24-year-old Antonio Bastardo from Triple A Lehigh Valley. Bastardo was on the Phils' Opening Day roster, but was used sparingly during the first two-and-a-half months of the season. After allowing two runs and hitting two batters in two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees on June 15, the Phillies placed him on the disabled list with elbow inflammation.

The streak is on hold Andre Ethier was out of the Dodgers starting lineup on Wednesday night because of an inflamed left elbow, putting his 29-game hitting streak on hold. Ethier felt discomfort Tuesday night, when he moved within two games of the franchise record set by Willie Davis in 1969. Ethier has hit an even .400 during the streak, so it's not as if he's doing it by dumb luck. But he's had a few breaks, such as extending the streak four times with infield hits, and four more by getting the hit in his last time up.   Show them the money The Los Angeles Times reported that the Dodgers lacked the cash to make their May 31 payroll and that MLB would step in and make the payroll.

10:10 p.m., Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. TV: Comcast SportsNet. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM); WUBA (1480-AM) Spanish.   Tonight's pitchers   Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick (8-7, 4.64) vs. Dodgers RHP Carlos Monasterios (3-4, 3.54)   Who's hot   Ryan Madson: The veteran reliever entered last night having allowed two runs while striking out 28 in his last 18 innings, dating to July 31.   Who's not   Raul Ibanez: The leftfielder was one of a number of Phillies veterans to struggle against the Padres over the weekend, going 1-for-13 with an RBI in the three-game sweep over San Diego.

THE PLAY: In what should have been yet another routine doubleplay, Chase Utley throws wide of first baseman Ryan Howard for the second straight game. The ball caroms off the visitor's dugout to score pinch-runner Juan Pierre and tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning. THE SETUP: With runners at first and second, Dodgers catcher Russell Martin swings on a 3-2 count and rips a grounder down the third-base line that Pedro Feliz snags and relays to Utley, forcing Ronnie Belliard out at second.

LOS ANGELES - Not sure whether the Phillies can win seven more this way, but, in October, you just keep trying to get outs however you can get outs. The Phillies got enough of them at the right time and got two home runs at perfect times. It was enough, barely, to win Game 1 of the National League Championship Seies against the Dodgers, 8-6, last night. Charlie Manuel used just about everybody he had in his bullpen. There were a few shaky moments, but every time a Phillies reliever absolutely had to get an out at Dodger Stadium, he got an out. There was J.A. Happ, protecting a one-run lead in the sixth, getting Rafael Furcal to ground out on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded.

What we're talking about after the Phillies' 10-4 win over the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series: Return to the Fall Classic: Hard to believe, Harry, but the Phillies have never been to the World Series in back-to-back years. Until now. And if the Yankees finish off the Angels it will be both an Amtrak Series and a rematch of 1950. No surprise that first baseman Ryan Howard, who batted .333 with a double, a triple, two homers, eight RBI and five runs scored, got the nod. Honorable mention to LHP Cliff Lee (1-0, 0.00)

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was looking ahead to the postseason when he stuck with Arodys Vizcaino after the Dodgers loaded the bases with three straight singles in the seventh. Gonzalez said he may need to use the rookie in a similarly difficult situation in the playoffs. He hopes Vizcaino learns from the experience, even though the results were ugly for Atlanta. James Loney's three-run double was the key hit in a five-run seventh inning for Los Angeles and the streaking Dodgers rallied after trailing by five runs to beat Atlanta, 8-6, at Turner Field.

All-Star rightfielder Andre Ethier was held out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting lineup because of a sore right knee, and the team wants to find out the exact nature of the injury. "It was hard to throw him out there today," manager Don Mattingly said before the series finale against visiting Colorado. "We know he's got a knee thing going on and that it's kind of affected his swing some. So if he's not doing some of the things we know he's capable of, then you know there's something going on. " Ethier went public with his problem in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, which caused a clamor in the clubhouse and resulted in a 15-minute closed-door meeting with first-year manager Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers got their first hit with two out in the ninth inning Saturday and still beat the San Diego Padres, 1-0, when Dioner Navarro singled in Juan Uribe for the unlikely victory. Uribe was down to his last strike when he drove a pitch from Luke Gregerson (2-2) over the head of leftfielder Chris Denorfia for a double. It was Los Angeles' first hit and only the second hit of the game for either team. The Padres have never had a no-hitter in their 43-year history.

AN HOUR after Cole Hamels put the finishing touches on his latest masterpiece, weathering stifling heat to pitch eight dominant innings in a 2-0 victory over his latest victim, somebody reminded him of the last time he had faced the Dodgers. "Yeah," Hamels said in a sarcastic tone. "I love that game. " That game was Game 5 of the 2009 National League Championship Series. The Phillies clinched their second straight World Series berth that night, but Hamels watched the majority of it from the sideline, having been yanked by Charlie Manuel with one out in the fifth inning after allowing his third home run of the game.

As he began the first home run trot for a Phillies hitter in eight days, Ryan Howard raised his right arm to the sky. He had stood momentarily to admire the Hiroki Kuroda fastball he mashed. In right field, Andre Ethier took a few steps back, then thought better and just watched it fly. The ball did not land deep in the stands at Citizens Bank Park, and it accounted for only one run Wednesday night. But Howard and the sold-out crowd reacted otherwise. This was a run on a night when Cole Hamels was pitching.

IT WAS A VERY bad ballgame for us. Charlie Manuel could have ended his press conference after those eight words. The game, a 6-2 loss at the hands of the Dodgers last night, was nothing extraordinary. It wasn't the first time the Phillies left eight runners on base, nor was it the first time they managed only a lone extra-base hit. It wasn't the first time they failed to hit, and it wasn't the first time they lost to a team they were supposed to beat. But this one seemed to bother the manager more than the others.

Another bad moment during batting practice What is it about batting practice on the West Coast? On the heels of the Braves' Roger McDowell's boorish behavior toward fans watching batting practice at San Francisco's Candlestick Park last month, comes word that the Dodgers' Andre Ethier may have been rude toward a photographer. Ethier, who in his five years with the club has had pretty good press, flipped off the photographer - with both hands - during batting practice at Dodger Stadium before Monday's game against the Brewers.

NEW YORK - Andre Ethier figured that his power might return once his hitting streak came to an end. He'd be able to relax, swing freely, and start driving the ball again. And it didn't take very long to happen. Ethier belted a two-run homer the day after losing his 30-game streak, providing some instant offense for Clayton Kershaw and the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers in a 4-2 win over the New York Mets. The victory snapped a four-game slide. "It's a good way to get it going again, to get the win and get things righted a bit," said Ethier, who also singled after going 0 for 4 on Saturday night.

Andre Ethier figured his power might return once his hitting streak came to an end. He'd be able to relax, swing freely and start driving the ball again. It sure didn't take long for that to happen. Ethier belted a two-run homer the day after losing his 30-game streak, providing some instant offense for Clayton Kershaw and the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers in a 4-2 win over the New York Mets yesterday at Citi Field. The Dodgers had lost six of their last seven. "It's a good way to get it going again, to get the win and get things righted a bit," said Ethier, who also singled after going 0-for-4 on Saturday night.