Ex-Phil Padilla slams door on Cards

ST. LOUIS - Vicente Padilla's career was scraping the bottom in August when the Texas Rangers told the temperamental righthander not to let the door hit him in the rear end on his way out.

No doubt, when the news broke that Padilla was out of a job, there were knowing nods among those still in the Phillies organization who had put up with his abrasive personality and unpredictable behavior while the gifted Nicaraguan was with the club from 2001 to 2005.

Sure, Padilla was picked for the All-Star Game in 2002, his first of back-to-back 14-win seasons. But by the end of 2005, Charlie Manuel's first season as manager, Padilla had sucked enough oxygen out of the clubhouse to leave his teammates gasping.

In Manuel's plan to create a confident, harmonious atmosphere, Padilla was a sour note.

Well, if the Phillies do their part against Colorado, Padilla will be coming to South Philadelphia in a Dodgers uniform, resuscitated and rejuvenated.

In his first postseason start, the 32-year-old Padilla breezed through the Cardinals' lineup for seven shutout innings last night as the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep with a 5-1 win at Busch Stadium to earn a place in the National League Championship Series.

Padilla allowed four hits, struck out four, walked one, and continued to make good on what he called his "second life" as a major-leaguer. As a Dodger, he is 5-0 under the calming influence of manager Joe Torre.

"That's the best we've seen him," Torre said. "And the longest. He hadn't gone more than six innings, and he wanted to go out in the eighth. I thought about it for a tenth of a second."

After he was released by the Rangers, Padilla signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers. He pitched one game at triple-A Albuquerque and was activated Aug. 27. The Dodgers said they were confident he would be on his best behavior, and Padilla became an improbable key in a rotation that was struggling, going 4-0 in five starts.

"I feel like the Dodgers are really united as a team," Padilla said through an interpreter after Friday's workout. "I was welcomed like a family, and I'm very glad about how they're treating me."

After Padilla wriggled out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first inning, he dominated the Cardinals with his low, darting 95-m.p.h. fastball and biting breaking ball.

"He looked like he was feeling his way in the first inning," said Torre, who extended his major-league record with his 83d postseason victory. "But after that, he was nails."

Padilla was backed by two RBIs each from Andre Ethier, who launched a 403-foot two-run home run in the third inning for his second homer of the series, and Manny Ramirez, who drove home a run in the first with a double and the other in the seventh with a single.

The frustration and desperation Padilla caused throughout the Cardinals' lineup was visible. In the fifth inning, Brendan Ryan belly-flopped into first base on his groundout to second to try to get something going. In the sixth, Padilla struck out Albert Pujols looking.

Pujols, whose season ended with his going a career-long 89 at-bats without hitting a homer, gestured vehemently at home-plate umpire Mike Everitt, arguing that the pitch was low.

In the end, it was timely hitting, excellent pitching, and a strong dose of fortune that enabled the Dodgers to return to the league championship series.

In two-out situations, the Dodgers outscored the Cards, 9-1, during their division series. They defeated the Cardinals' two Cy Young Award candidates - Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright - in the first two games. They held St. Louis to six runs in the series.

Los Angeles also received a huge break when Matt Holliday dropped a fly ball in left field with two out and no one on in Game 2, with the Cardinals leading, 2-1. The Dodgers seized the opportunity, and won, 3-2.

"The second game, we got a break," Torre said. "And guys got excited about it and stepped up."

In a sign the young Dodgers are maturing, they managed to win the first two games with no help from Ramirez, who has been in a power outage. Ramirez hasn't homered since Sept. 18, a span of 47 at-bats.

But last night, Ramirez had his eighth postseason game with at least three hits. His 32 RBIs in division series play are only one behind Bernie Williams' record.