Kuroda gets only 4 outs in Game 3

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In his first start since Sept. 28, Hiroki Kuroda recorded only four outs. AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Hiroki Kuroda's first start of the postseason for Los Angeles was a bitterly brief one.

Two singles, a double, a triple, a home run. Philadelphia hit for the team cycle only eight batters into Game 3 of the NL championships series, battering Kuroda on Sunday night and sending him to the dugout after only recording four outs.

Manager Joe Torre's gamble on Kuroda badly backfired in an 11-0 loss.

Kuroda might not get another chance to prove he can shut down the Phillies.

The 34-year-old right-hander could get the start in a possible Game 7, but the Dodgers trail 2-1 in the NLCS and have two more games in Philadelphia where they are winless the last two postseasons.

Kuroda never had anything from the start in front of a rabid Phillies crowd. He was rested -- and rusty -- in his first start since Sept. 28 because of a bulging disk in his neck. He sat out the NL division series against St. Louis.

A lengthy layoff didn't affect Phillies starter Pedro Martinez in Game 2.

Kuroda's past success against Philadelphia was one reason Torre gave him the ball. Kuroda was 1-0 and had allowed only two earned runs in 19 innings in three career regular-season starts against Philadelphia.

Against the Phillies in Game 3 of last year's NLCS, Kuroda earned the win with six innings of two-run ball.

This Game 3 was about as different for Kuroda as the weather on the two coasts for this series.

Perhaps he still wasn't 100 percent, but the Phillies rocked him. Ryan Howard hustled for a two-run triple and Jayson Werth hit a two-run shot to make it 4-0 in the first inning.

Kuroda, 8-7 with a 3.76 ERA this season, allowed six runs in only 1 1-3 innings.

Torre could have given the start to Chad Billingsley. Billingsley faded badly in the second half after a 9-3 start made him an NL All-star. He bounced back with quality outings in his final two starts, but did pitch in the NLDS.

Veteran starters Jon Garland and Jeff Weaver were dropped from the NLCS roster.

Billingsley quieted the Phillies after their quick offensive start, retiring nine of 10 in one stretch and made his case to start a possible Game 6 or 7.

Torre was convinced Kuroda could pitch after 49 painfree pitches in a simulated game last week in Arizona. He tossed an additional 21 in the bullpen.

He threw 39 against the Phillies and few of them were quality pitches.

The Dodgers need more than strong starts to get back in this series.

They scored only two runs in a Game 2 victory and had just three hits in eight innings against Cliff Lee. Manny Ramirez had two singles and Ronnie Belliard had a single. None of the balls were hit hard. Game 2 was the first time the Dodgers failed to get an extra-base hit in a postseason game since 1988. They needed only 48 hours to do it again.

Randy Wolf will start Game 4 and the Dodgers have to hope he handcuffs Philadelphia's big boppers to get back into the series.

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