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Phillies-Dodgers Preview

Oct 16, 2009 - 4:23 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Philadelphia (93-69) at Los Angeles (95-67), 4:07 p.m. EDT

After winning a big game to open the NL championship series, the Philadelphia Phillies are turning to a big-game pitcher to try to take a 2-0 lead back home.

Pedro Martinez will make his first playoff appearance in five years when he takes the mound Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the stadium where he made his major league debut.

The 37-year-old Martinez was originally set to make his Phillies postseason debut in Game 3 of the division series at Colorado, but he was scratched from that scheduled start Saturday due to rain.

Manager Charlie Manuel feels it won't be a detriment that the three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn't pitched since Sept. 30. Martinez, who started his career with the Dodgers in 1992, went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts with the Phillies this year.

"I think he's been throwing in the bullpen, I think he knows how to pitch," Manuel said. "I think that he's definitely - you're asking - what we're asking him to do is we're asking him to give us anywhere from 75 to 95 pitches."

This will be Martinez's first postseason start since he won Game 3 for Boston at St. Louis in the 2004 World Series. He's 6-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 13 career playoff appearances, including 11 starts.

"It's going to be special, especially bringing back memories about my start here," Martinez said. "I was born in this place, and I hope this is not the last one that I pitch here, but if it is, it would be a great joy to actually do it in the same place I started."

He will get a chance to face former Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers slugger is 6 for 36 (.167) with 16 strikeouts in his career against Martinez, including playoffs.

"Well, nobody can say I know how to pitch Manny." Martinez said. "Manny is such a great hitter, and he's someone that makes adjustments as he sees the game develop."

Despite his poor numbers against Martinez, Ramirez is looking forward to the matchup.

"He's like my brother," Ramirez said. "After the game we go and have a beer and everything is fine."

Ramirez and James Loney went deep for the Dodgers in their 8-6 loss in Thursday's series opener. Los Angeles fell short after stranding 10 runners and going 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

"It's like a prize fight, we just came up a little short," manager Joe Torre said.

The Phillies, who led the NL with 224 homers, got two big blows via the long ball. Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez each had three-run homers as Philadelphia improved to 3-0 on the road in the playoffs.

"If you win the first one on the road, it definitely sets up tomorrow's game, and that gives us a chance to really go home looking good," Manuel said.

Those three road wins have been saved by embattled closer Brad Lidge, who led the majors with 11 blown saves in 2009. Lidge has converted 10 straight save chances in the playoffs and has extended his scoreless innings streak in the postseason to 10 2-3.

"Honestly, for some reason I've really been locked in this postseason," Lidge said. "I felt really good mechanically. I feel like myself. I feel pretty comfortable right now."

The unheralded Ruiz is 10 for 17 (.588) with eight RBIs and a .720 on-base percentage this year against the Dodgers.

"I think there's always probably one guy on each team that gives certain teams hell to pay," Torre said "And when it's the eighth-place hitter, it frustrates you."

Torre will give Vicente Padilla (1-0, 0.00) the start for Los Angeles after the right-hander had a spectacular postseason debut Sunday. Padilla yielded four hits over seven scoreless innings in a 5-1 victory at St. Louis that capped the Dodgers' sweep of their division series.

The strong effort came after Padilla went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA for Los Angeles in eight appearances - seven starts. He was signed to a minor league deal by the Dodgers after being released by Texas on Aug. 17.

"I feel very grateful to be in this position right now, to be given this opportunity to pitch in the playoffs," Padilla said. "But when I first signed with the Dodgers, I didn't really think that I was going to be - I was going to come this far.

"But I knew that the team was a hard-working team and really good guys. I'm very happy that we're here right now."

Padilla spent the bulk of his big league career with the Phillies from 2000-05. His lone start against his former team was on June 28, 2008, and he gave up seven runs over six innings in an 8-6 loss.

"First of all, they have great fans and a great baseball environment," Padilla said. "But now I'm with the Dodgers, so I have to do whatever I have to do with the Dodgers. But I feel good about it."

Ibanez is 9 for 28 (.321) with two homers in his career against Padilla.