Torre, Dodgers face stern test

LOS ANGELES - OK, Joe Torre, let's see what you've got.

Known for his calm, cool demeanor in tough times, Torre's teams have always seemed to gain confidence through his quiet leadership. It was a missing ingredient this season for a Yankees team that failed to make the playoffs under first-year manager Joe Girardi.

Torre showed his incredible patience early in his rookie campaign in Los Angeles, when the younger players weren't producing, when free agent bust Andruw Jones couldn't get out of his own way, and when closer Takashi Saito and shortstop Rafael Furcal were lost to injuries.

But while Torre kept his usual even-keel approach, GM Ned Colletti made three key midseason acquisitions in Greg Maddux, Casey Blake, and Manny Ramírez, and before you could say "Chavez Ravine," the Dodgers were on their way to winning the National League West.

Today, though, the Dodgers enter Game 3 of the National League Championship Series in a 2-0 hole against the Philadelphia Phillies. There are three games at Dodger Stadium, where Ramírez has been treated like an Oscar-winning, box-office superstar.

The Dodgers might have decent pitching, but when it comes right down to it, they are a one-trick pony. Either Ramírez carries them or they might be swept out of the postseason.

"We're a team here," Ramírez said. "It's not just me. We all have to contribute to winning, just like when we lose, we all lose together."

Ramírez, however, is the biggest reason the Dodgers have made it this far. He hit a three-run homer in Game 2, but the Dodgers came up on the short end of an 8-5 loss.

So what's the approach for Game 3?

Torre, a four-time World Series champion with the Yankees who said at yesterday's news conference that he holds mini team meetings almost every day of the playoffs, seemed to stress aggressiveness.

"I'm not sure if they hear everything," Torre said of the meetings, "and it really doesn't amount to a whole lot. But I thought we were a little bit on our heels in the first three innings [of Game 2 Friday]. I thought that we got off to a bad start and never could fully recover."

Being down, 2-0, doesn't seem to faze Torre, who watched as his Yankees squandered a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS.

"I'm probably a little more nervous up, 2-0, rather than down, 2-0, because you don't want people to get overconfident," he said. "On the other side of the coin, you have to think of not looking too far ahead. Again, you don't play at this time of the year unless you're capable of winning multiple games. Momentum is so important and I've talked to the players that when momentum is on your side, you want to keep it, when it's not, you want to find a way to get it back."

Torre has used Ramírez as Exhibit A that a team can play loose and have fun even when trailing.

"I like to believe our younger guys can look at [Ramírez] and realize they can exhale a little bit," Torre said. "And Casey Blake, too. He's probably a little more intense, but I think just the stability of those two guys has helped us all year and I'm banking on that continuing."

Torre might tinker with his lineup, as well, indicating he was pondering putting veterans Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent in the starting infield.

While Torre doesn't consider Game 3 do-or-die, he knows going home and regaining the series momentum is the key.

Ramírez, though, spoke in more immediate terms.

"It is a must-win," he said. "We play better at home so we have to have the home-field advantage now."

It will be a test to see what Torre can get out of his players in a crucial game. The fate of Ramírez returning to Boston to face the team that traded him and is paying his salary might ride on tonight's outcome.

Let's see what you've got, Joe.