Phils take businesslike approach

LOS ANGELES - Shane Victorino sat in the middle of a horde of reporters yesterday at Dodger Stadium and tried to make sense of everything.

The scene seemed fitting. The centerfielder has been in the middle of everything since the Phillies made the playoffs.

He hit a grand slam off Milwaukee Brewers lefthander CC Sabathia in Game 2 of the National League division series. Victorino had four RBIs in an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series on Friday. He got hot after Hiroki Kuroda threw over his head Sunday in Game 3, which resulted in dugouts and bullpens emptying, and fines.

Then he hit a game-tying home run Monday in the eighth inning of a 7-5 win in Game 4.

"It's far from over," Victorino said during a workout yesterday.

He was referring to the Dodgers series, not his knack for delivering in big moments this postseason. The Phillies lead the best-of-seven series by three games to one. A victory tonight in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium would send the Phillies to their first World Series since 1993.

"There's still a big game that we've got to win," said Victorino, who has 11 RBIs in the postseason, a franchise record. "We're not counting anybody out."

The Phillies' rise has happened in a hurry.

National reporters and fans had been in love with the Chicago Cubs before the postseason, but the Dodgers swept the Cubs in the division series. Reporters then fell in love with Manny Ramirez - hey, he's not dogging it! - but the Dodgers would need to win three consecutive games, including two at Citizens Bank Park, to overcome the deep hole they now find themselves in.

Meanwhile, the Phillies have continued doing their thing.

"When we get there, we'll be excited," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said of the World Series. "We've still got another game at least. No one is overly excited. We're anticipating something good to happen, but even if we get to the World Series, the job isn't done yet. . . . We've got to stay hungry. When you're winning, you don't play like you're losing, but you don't play like you're done."

People have asked what is different about this team from teams past, and Rollins might have hit on it.

This team is focused. It is not just happy to be here, and you get the sense that the Phillies will not be happy just to make the World Series.

Lefthander Cole Hamels will be on the mound tonight against Dodgers righthander Chad Billingsley.

Hamels, 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA this season, is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA in the postseason, including a victory in Game 1 of this series. The Phils torched Billingsley for eight runs in Game 2.

"Cole's been outstanding," second baseman Chase Utley said. "He's pitched well for us all year. He's pitched well in big games. I'm excited to see him pitch."

Victorino, who has turned into a villain of sorts in L.A., hopes to come up with another big hit.

"Shane's always been a villain," Rollins said. "He's a villain in the clubhouse. He's a guy that everyone wants to wrestle. But this is the first time that he's really been that guy, the guy the fans want to take on." He played in the Dodgers organization before the Phillies selected him in the 2004 Rule 5 draft.

"It's a chance for him to show them he's a good player and they made the wrong decision."

Victorino said he has not used that as motivation. He just wants to win.

"You've got to put your foot on the gas and keep going," Victorino said. "The odds are definitely on our side. But we want to finish this as quick as we can. We don't want to wait. We don't want to give momentum back to them. We've put ourselves in position to win one game to take us to the World Series."