Phillies power way to NL championship series

Pat Burrell connected on a three-run blast in the third inning and added a solo shot in the eighth, helping the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-2 win to eliminate the Milwaukee Brewers in National League playoff action on Sunday afternoon.

Philadelphia hit four home runs in the final game of the series.

"I couldn't be more thrilled. You know, I don't think it's actually sunk in all that much yet," said Burrell, who has been with the Phillies since they drafted him in 1998.

Jimmy Rollins went deep in the first off Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan, while Jayson Werth immediately followed Burrell's third-inning long ball with one of his own. Philadelphia claims the best-of-five National League division series 3-1.

The Phillies advance to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the winner of that series the NL representative in the World Series.

"I like our chances," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Sunday after Philadelphia clinched its first trip to the NLCS since 1993. "I think we can hold our own with them. Actually, I think we can beat anybody in the National League, really."

The series will begin Thursday in Philadelphia.

The Dodgers and Phillies have met for the NL pennant three times before. Los Angeles won in 1977 and '78, while the Phillies took the flag in 1983.

The clubs split eight games this season, with each sweeping a four-game set in their own ballpark. However, the Phillies outscored the Dodgers 43-27 in those matchups.

"It's going to be a good series, but I think we can score runs on them," Manuel said. "The way our guys pitch … I don't see no reason in the world why we can't stay right with them."

Starter Joe Blanton (1-0) cruised for six innings for the Phillies. At one point, Blanton set aside 10 consecutive batters.

He struck out seven and walked one, departing at the beginning of the seventh inning.

Prince Fielder hit a towering blast to right off Blanton to get Milwaukee on the board in the seventh. J.J. Hardy followed with a single, but reliever Ryan Madson replaced Blanton and got three consecutive outs.

Ryan Braun added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 5-2, but Fielder lined out to first with Braun aboard.

Philadelphia reliever Brad Lidge induced catcher Jason Kendall to ground out to Rollins to end the game.

Suppan no saviour

Milwaukee staved off elimination in Game 4 and were hoping Suppan, with much playoff experience, could provide a solid outing. Suppan went 3-3 in nine playoff games through the years with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he was rocked on Sunday.

He gave up five runs on six hits through three innings, walking two.

Rollins led off the game with a homer to right field, Burrell hit his first of the game to left, and Werth made it back-to-back homers with a shot to centre.

"That took a lot of pressure off of us," Rollins said of his home run. "We were up 1-0, regardless, no matter how the top of the first ended. On the other side, of course, it's going to put a little more pressure on you because their guys are thinking, 'OK, well, we got to answer back."

Sabathia sent in to pinch-hit

When Suppan's turn to hit came in the fourth, pitcher C.C. Sabathia was used as a pinch-hitter. Sabathia hit two home runs during the regular season, but couldn't muster a hit this time.

Yovani Gallardo, who started Game 1, took the mound for the Brewers and helped stem the tide for three innings.

"We never really got the bases loaded, got a bunch of guys on base to break the game open or get back in the game," said Brewers interim manager Dale Sveum.

It was the first post-season appearance for Milwaukee since the 1982 Brewers lost in the seventh game of the World Series.

Milwaukee traded for Cleveland's Sabathia to make a push for the playoffs, but the big pitcher couldn't even reach the fifth inning in a Game 2 loss in Philadelphia.

Sabathia is expected to receive a whopping offer as a free agent in the off-season, likely marking a short stay with the Brewers.