Apparently all Nick Swisher needed was a fire lit under his ass.

Swisher, benched in Game 2, homered and doubled in the Yankees’ 8-5 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night. With the victory, New York takes a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series.

Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui also went deep for the Bronx Bombers. A-Rod’s shot was memorable because it was the first call overturned by replay in the history of the World Series. He finished 1 for 2 on the night with two RBI and a walk, while Swisher went 2-for-4 with two runs and a RBI.

The Phillies got two home runs from Jayson Werth and one from Carlos Ruiz to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning. But the Yankees answered with two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings on their way to victory. Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels was touched up for five runs on five hits in just 4.1 innings of work. He struck out three and walked two.

With this win, the Yankees have the Phillies right where they want them because CC Sabathia opposes Joe Blanton tomorrow night. But a win is vital for the Bombers because if they lose, not only will Philly even the series but it’ll also have the momentum with Cliff Lee (who beat the Yankees in Game 1) starting Game 5.

Tomorrow is critical for Joe Girardi, who decided to start Sabathia on only three days rest. If the Yankees can’t take a 3-1 series lead, then Girardi’s gamble could wind up costing his club.

The Philadelphia Phillies will have the opportunity to defend their World Series title.

Jayson Werth powered the Phils past the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night by hitting two of the club’s four home runs in a 10-4 victory. Pedro Feliz and Shane Victorino also homered for Philly, as they easily disposed of L.A. in five games.

The Phillies’ offense shined in the NLCS, racking up 35 runs in seven games. Thus far, Werth has five dingers in the postseason, while Victorino has three. Philadelphia will now await the winner of the Yankees-Angels series to see who will oppose them in the World Series.

A potential Phillies-Yankees matchup would be entertaining considering how well both clubs are hitting the ball right now. Watching CC Sabathia take on Werth, Victorino, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley would be incredibly fun to watch and should draw decent ratings given how big of a market the Yankees play in.

It’s amazing how the Phillies were overlooked before the season. While everyone talked about the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs, the Phillies flew under the radar for the most part and then once again took care of business once the series started.

The Dodgers must be praying they never have to face the Phillies after these last two years.

For the second time this postseason, Cliff Lee was dominant.

Lee allowed just one earned run over 7 1/3 innings on Monday, as the Phillies knocked off the Rockies in dramatic fashion to advance to the NLCS where they will face the Dodgers.

After the Rockies had jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the eighth, things looked bleak for Philadelphia heading into the ninth. Huston Street got two quick outs, but then got into trouble after Shane Victorino grounded into a fielder’s choice and then Chase Utley walked. Ryan Howard then doubled to deep right to score both Victorino and Utley, then Jayson Werth singled to center to score Howard.

In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Scott Eyre got two outs but then allowed two runners to get on base with singles. But Brad Lidge managed to strike out Troy Tulowitzki to end the game.

The Phillies will now advance to the NLCS to face a rested Dodgers team that made quick work of the Cardinals. It should be an evenly matched NLCS as both teams have pitching and a solid lineup from top to bottom.

Phillies’ starter Cliff Lee went the distance on Wednesday in Game 1 of Philadelphia’s 5-1 victory over the Rockies in the NLDS. Lee had a shutout heading into the ninth, but Troy Tulowitzki broke it up with a two-out double to score Colorado’s lone run.

Lee, making his postseason debut, allowed six hits in going the distance. He retired 16 consecutive batters until Garrett Atkins hit a two-out double in the seventh inning. He even became the first pitcher in Phillies history to steal a base in the postseason when he stole second base in the third inning.

Rockies right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez cruised through four innings before he struggled with his command.

Jimenez walked Jayson Werth to lead off the fifth inning. Raul Ibanez then ripped a 3-1 changeup into the right-field corner to score Werth to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Pedro Feliz’s fielder’s choice advanced Raul Ibanez to third, and Carlos Ruiz worked an eight-pitch at-bat, hitting a 3-2 slider for a single to give the Phils a 2-0 lead.

Jimenez finally got out of the inning, but not until he threw 35 pitches.

After getting to just one three-ball count in the first four innings, Jimenez had four in the fifth.

Jimenez’s problems continued in the sixth as he allowed a single to Utley, a double to Ryan Howard and a triple to Werth to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead. Rockies manager Jim Tracy pulled Jimenez for left-hander Joe Beimel to face Ibanez, who singled to right to score Werth to make it 5-0.

What a great addition the Phillies made at the trade deadline by acquiring Lee. He struggled a bit heading into the postseason, but he was incredible today. He has been well worth the compensation that Philadelphia had to part with to acquire him from Cleveland.

Out of all the postseason teams, only the Twins had a worse road record (38-43) than the Rockies (41-40). So it’s no surprise to see Colorado struggle in Philadelphia to start this series.

It’ll be interesting to see how Cole Hamels fairs tomorrow after posting a lackluster regular season in which he finished 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA. In his final outing before the playoffs, he lasted just three innings, giving up three runs and walking two in a loss. The Phillies need their former ace to give them a 2-0 advantage before this series shifts to Colorado on Saturday, where the Rockies have been practically lights out.

With their 10-3 win over the Astros on Wednesday night, the Phillies clinched their third straight division title. Raul Ibanez went 1 for 2 with a two-run homer, two runs scored and three RBI in the victory.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

On the third time around, the familiar white towels snapped in the seats and the same joyous roar rose high. The Phillies beat the Astros, clinching the division again, and the fireworks and the champagne were the same. The picture that will remain, after everything, was the charge of Phillies players out to the sign on the leftfield wall.

It is the sign with the microphone and the big red letters, the omnipresent reminder of Harry Kalas, the voice and the soul of the franchise who died in April. They gathered around the sign, all of them, jumping and joyfully pounding against it, showering it and the nearby fans with every available beverage.

You do not script these kinds of moments. They just happen if the stars are aligned just right. You do not script life, either. And here we all are again.

What a special moment for the Phillies and a great tribute to Kalas to win the division yet again. He was one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in baseball history and it was cool to see the players gather around the sign in the outfield to honor him.

The Phillies have the best offense in the National League and the sixth best team ERA. Their lineup consists of five guys who have 20 home runs or more, including Ryan Howard (43), Jayson Werth (35), Raul Ibanez (34), Chase Utley (31) and Jimmy Rollins (21).

A Dodgers-Phillies matchup would be fun to watch seeing as how L.A. boasts the lowest team ERA in the league and Philly can score runs in bunches.

The American League was once again victorious over the National League in the Midsummer Classic, as the AL topped the NL 4-3 to run its unbeaten streak in the All-Star Game to 13. Below are six quick-hit observations from the game.

1. Carl Crawford is a bad man.
How many times when you were growing up did you go in the backyard by yourself, stand up against a fence and practice robbing home runs? Crawford’s highway robbery of Brad Hawpe in the seventh to preserve the 3-3 tie was the play of the game. The way he sprinted to the wall and timed his jump to make the catch was flat out sweet.

2. The National League will never win another All-Star Game…again.
Or so it seems. It’s not like the NL is getting blown out, but 13 straight years without a win? How does that happen? It’s not like the NL was devoid of talent with names like Pujols, Fielder and Lincecum gracing its roster. But the league can just never get over the hump and the AL’s dominance over the past 13 years has been impressive.

3. Tim Lincecum was incredibly nervous.
Or too hyped up, either way, you didn’t see the best he had to offer tonight. You could tell the excitement of the game got to him, because most of his pitchers were missing high and he had no command of his changeup, which is usually un-hittable. I don’t blame the young man (pitching in his first ASG) for being a little wound up, but I was excited for Lincecum to show the nation what kind of talent he has and it just wasn’t in the cards.

4. Great piece of hitting by Fielder, Mauer and Jones.
You know what the difference is between All-Stars and your run-of-the-mill major leaguers? They can go opp-o. Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer and Adam Jones all displayed great opposite field hitting tonight and that’s a skill often overlooked in the baseball world these days.

5. Mariano Rivera has still got it.
Watching this guy pitch over the past decade has been an absolute treat. It’s amazing – even after all of these years, when he comes into a game you know it’s essentially over. Although I will say this, I would have loved to have seen Ryan Franklin get an opportunity to save the game in the 9th with the NL leading because he has been flat out un-hittable this season. If you blinked at all in the third inning, you probably missed Franklin’s ASG outing, because that’s how quick he ran through the AL hitting.

6. Nice AB, Jayson Werth.
After Werth struck out to end the seventh inning, somewhere Matt Kemp and Pablo Sandoval said to themselves, “Hell, I could have done that.” It’s incredibly unfair to hammer Werth for striking out against Jonathan Papelbon because after all, many have struck out against the Boston closer. But Werth didn’t make his manager Charlie Manuel look too good with that AB, seeing as how the Philadelphia skipper chose his own guy over the equally deserving Kemp and Sandoval.

Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum will oppose Blue Jays’ starter Roy Halladay in tomorrow night’s All-Star Game from St. Louis. Lincecum is 10-2 at the break with a 2.33 ERA, while the “Doc” is 10-3 wit a 2.85 ERA.

Albert Pujols will bat third for the NL behind Marlins’ shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who will bat leadoff, and Phillies’ second baseman Chase Utley, who will be in the two-hole. Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun will bat cleanup for the NL and be followed by Raul Ibanez (Phillies, left field), David Wright (Mets, third base), Shane Victorino (Phillies, centerfield) and Yadier Molina (Cardinals, catcher).

The AL will have M’s right fielder Ichiro Suzuki leading off, followed by Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter and Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer. Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira will bat cleanup, followed by Jason Bay (Red Sox, left field), Josh Hamilton (Rangers, centerfield), Evan Longoria (Rays, third base) and Aaron Hill (Blue Jays, second base).

No word yet on when Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval will get in………….they didn’t get in? Jayson Werth? Jayson Werth?!

Just kidding – Werth deserved to go. By no means did he and his .260 batting average get in only because Charlie Manuel is managing the NL.

Again, just kidding. I know Werth has already popped 20 dingers and has driven in 56 runs this year. His numbers have been great both at home at that little league field Philadelphia calls a stadium, and on the road. I just hope for Manuel’s sake that Werth contributes, because Kemp and Sandoval have been freaking outstanding this year and deserved that final spot (the one that opened because of Carlos Beltran’s injury) as much as Werth did.

With one spot to fill on the NL All-Star roster due to an injury to the Mets’ Carlos Beltran, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth is now heading to St. Louis to play in the Midsummer Classic.

This is a well-deserved honor for Werth, who has put up great power numbers so far this season, smashing 20 home runs, 54 RBI and scoring 59 runs. And for those who say his numbers are inflated because of the park he plays in, check the stats because he’s been just as good on the road as he has been at home.

That said, Pablo Sandoval of the Giants and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers have every right to feel that they were hosed for not making the NL roster this season. Sandoval has carried a Giants’ offense that features Bengie Molina as the cleanup hitter for cribb’s sake. He’s also incredibly fun to watch, playing every game with a raw energy that compliments his natural talent. He can also play multiple positions and at only 23, San Fran has finally got themselves a potentially great young hitter.

The same goes for Kemp, who has been outstanding this year for the best team in baseball. He’s hitting .319 with 10 dingers, 46 RBI, 46 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. He’s also played a fantastic outfield and was one of the players that kept L.A. afloat when Manny Ramirez got suspended.

Anyone one of those players – Werth, Sandoval, Kemp – would have been worthy candidates. Any argument could be made for each and every one of them.

You know it’s a slow week in MLB again when the big news is that Jeff Kent has announced his retirement. And just like Kent does with ease himself, the news stirred up controversy. This volatile player has never quite been a media darling, and has often gotten into it with teammates. But there is now debate about the guy’s Hall of Fame credentials. Okay, he may have the most homers for a second baseman in history, but you can’t tell me this guy is in the same class as a guy like Joe Morgan. He’s just not. And while a .290 career batting average is nothing to sneeze at, 377 homers over 20 years is not exactly Babe Ruth-esque.

Anyway, as Manny Ramirez remains unemployed, there were a few other smaller signings and moves this past week….

Okay, this isn’t small but just announced on Friday, Prince Fielder has agreed to a 2-year, $18 million deal with the Brewers that will keep him firmly entrenched (and who could move the guy?) on first base in Milwaukee through 2010. I’m glad for the Brew Crew since they lost out to the mighty Yankees in the CC sweepstakes.

Catcher Gregg Zaun re-signed with the Orioles, the team that drafted him back in 1989. The journeyman player signed a deal worth $1.5 million with a $2 million option for 2010.

The Phillies signed outfielder Jayson Werth to a two-year, $10 million contract and also inked reliever Chad Durbin to a one-year deal worth $1.635 million.

Young right fielder Nick Markakis of the Orioles came to terms on a six-year, $66.1 million deal, covering his first three arbitration-eligible years as well as his first three free agency eligible seasons. Clearly the O’s believe in this kid and want to keep him away from the Yankees and Red Sox.

Two other catchers signed this week—Brad Ausmus reached agreement with the Dodgers on a 1-year, $1 million deal; and Henry Blanco signed a $750,000 deal for one year to back up Padres’ catcher Nick Hundley.

Shortstop Omar Vizquel, who at 41 still looks like he’s 25, has been invited to spring training by the Texas Rangers. Vizquel signed a minor league deal that will allow him to mentor 20-year old Elvis Andrus, and to possibly become the team’s utility infielder. In order to make room for Andrus on the field, the Rangers are planning to move all-star shortstop Michael Young to third base. In addition, the Rangers are said to be casually wooing free agent pitcher Ben Sheets, who lives in Dallas.

Meanwhile, Tom Covill of Yahoo Sports posted this great summary of the remaining big name free agents still looking for work. It’s really kind of mind-boggling, but looking at these tiny deals being signed this past week, it’s clearly about economics and nothing more.