The Dodgers scored five times in the first off Jamie Moyer on their way to getting their first victory of the NLCS. The only excitement afterwards came when Kuroda threw at Shane Victorino's head in the third. Given that Manny Ramirez had practically demanded his pitchers avenge him and Russell Martin had been brushed back in the first, it appeared to be a clearly intentional act from Kuroda, one that should have gotten him thrown out of the game. Of course, that didn't happen. The benches cleared after Victorino grounded out in his at-bat, and Ramirez had to be restrained by four men when he wanted a piece of someone. However, no ejections were issued and there were no further incidents. Game 4 of the NLCS will be played Monday. Joe Blanton and Derek Lowe are due to start.

As we stated last week, the Phillies should have had Joe Blanton going tonight. The Dodgers are considerably better against left-handed pitchers, and they had an answer for everything Moyer threw up there tonight. Fortunately, with the way the LCS is set up these days, the Phillies will have the option of bringing Blanton back on normal rest if the series goes to a seventh game. Whether they go that route -- and whether the series goes that far -- will in part be determined by how Blanton performs in Game 4.

The Phillies are still up 2-1, but they're probably going to need to get something from two of their three-best players if they want to finish off the Dodgers. The struggling Ryan Howard had a couple of hits tonight. Rollins seems further away from busting out.

He will have a partial tear of his flexor tendon repaired and a bone spur shaved of the back of the elbow. Proctor will probably be ready to go at the start of spring training, but his best years may already be behind him.

Doolittle is 6-for-20 and has three doubles to go along with the pair of homers. The first baseman/right fielder slumped after being moved up to Double-A this summer, losing 250 points of OPS from his 945 mark in the California League. Still, it was an encouraging season overall. While he may lack star potential, he's a good bet to develop into a solid regular.

Matusz, the fourth overall selection in the 2008 draft, didn't sign until Aug. 15, so the Orioles didn't assign him to a minor league team. Just like Jake Arrieta last year, he'll get some work in during the fall and probably open his first full season in high-A ball.

It's no surprise that Frazier has quickly established himself as one of the circuit's best hitters. He's hitting .333/.360/.600 in 45 at-bats. The 22-year-old still doesn't have a set position, but he's advanced enough offensively that the Reds should feel comfortable starting him in Double-A next year.