Homer-happy Phils beat Dodgers 8-6 in NLCS opener

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Brad Lidge(notes) and the Philadelphia Phillies picked up where they left off a year ago against the Dodgers in the NL championship series.

Carlos Ruiz(notes) and Raul Ibanez(notes) hit three-run homers, reliever Ryan Madson(notes) got a key out and Lidge finished the Phillies’ 8-6 victory over Los Angeles in Game 1 Thursday night.
Manny Ramirez(notes) homered, but grounded out weakly with two runners on against a struggling Madson to end the Dodgers’ two-run rally in the eighth. They stranded 10 runners in the game.

“It’s like a prize fight, we just came up a little short,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

Lidge then worked around a single and a walk in the ninth, helped by a double play that made him for 3 for 3 in save chances this postseason—he posted three saves against the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS.