After Victorino's inning-ending groundout and an exchange with Kuroda, benches cleared and Ramirez had to be restrained after rushing in from left field. But come to think of it, Ramirez has been leading the Dodgers ever since he arrived, so what's one more time?

“Manny was more steamed than I was,'' Martin said. “I was trying to hold him back a bit.''

And about the time that Sly and the Family Stone's Why Can't We Be Friends blared over the PA system, also in the scrap was Phillies first-base coach Davey Lopes — who before the game, was part of the ceremonial first pitch with his longtime former Dodger infield mates Steve Garvey, Bill Russell and Ron Cey.

“You have teammates. You have to support them,'' Torre said. “I don't look at it as bad blood (between the two teams). It's baseball. I don't think this will be anything that is long-lasting.''

Whether it lasts or not, the Dodgers can point to two excellent starts in three games, with Derek Lowe — the author of the other one — coming back on three days rest for Game 4. And a comeback from an 0-2 deficit doesn't seem nearly as far-fetched as it did after Game 2 in Philadelphia.

Still, that scenario doesn't bode well as far as NLCS history goes. Only the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals have turned the trick and advanced to the World Series.

The Dodgers have never trailed 0-2 in an NLCS, but they have dropped the first two games in three different World Series — 1955, 1965 and 1981 — and every Dodgers fan knows how well those turned out.

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In each of those comeback World Series wins, the pattern was the same — the Dodgers dropping the first two on the road, and winning three in a row at Dodger Stadium.

Two trends are working in the Dodgers favor for that pattern to continue: They are 24-9 at Dodger Stadium since the All-Star break, and in the Dodgers-Phillies season series that has totaled 11 games, the home team has won every one of them.

“Hopefully, we planted a seed of doubt (in the Phillies' minds),'' Torre said. “But these are two good clubs. You get to the post-season by being able to handle failure.''

Added Phillies manager Charlie Manuel: “Momentum in this game is huge. And the way they came out in the first inning, I would say they took it away from us for the night.''

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