Key homer was just like what Stairs practiced

LOS ANGELES - Matt Stairs has created a new culture with the Phillies.

It's one in which regulars such as Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins intently watch the home run derby Stairs and fellow pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins stage on a daily basis in batting practice.

Sometimes BP turns into reality. For instance, in Monday's Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, pinch hitter Stairs tagged Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton for a decisive two-run, eighth-inning home run for a 7-5 victory that propelled the Phillies within a win of a World Series berth.

When something like that happens, the excitement among the Phillies is off the charts.

"I think I jumped 20 feet in the air," said Jenkins. "To hit it off their closer, who throws so hard, that's a great piece of hitting right there. Matt simply transferred what he does in BP into the game. It's not often you can do that, but Matt did it at a time that really gave this team a huge win."

Stairs, who lives in Bangor, Maine, and is assistant hockey coach at Bapst Memorial High there, has never had a bigger hit in his 14 seasons. He referenced a winning homer for Oakland on Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium in 1996, but the ramifications of Monday's shot were far greater.

After all, Howard is hitting .188 and Rollins .118 in the NLCS. When Stairs can come off the bench for a key pinch hit, it's a tremendous boost.

"In my role, I'm up there looking for a pitch I can hit out of the park," said Stairs, who was acquired by the Phillies from the Toronto Blue Jays Aug. 30 for player to be named (Fabio Castro). "I always loved hitting home runs, and if you watch my BP, I'm always trying to hit them and I enjoy watching to see how far they go."

Rollins said he's gotten a kick out of watching Stairs and Jenkins in BP. He was on deck when Stairs hit the homer.

"I thought about what just happened and I said, 'This is crazy,' " said Rollins. "We all enjoyed it, and now we've moved on because you don't get any bonus points or carryover to the next game. We have a goal here and we have to be preparing for the next game."

Kemp back in

Dodgers manager Joe Torre said the only change he'll make in his lineup tonight will be to play Matt Kemp in center field after a one-game respite when Juan Pierre got the nod . . . Recovering from surgery to repair torn knee cartilage, outfielder Andruw Jones has not been with the Dodgers after hitting .158 in 75 games. He'll be back in 2009 . . . Could this be Manny Ramírez's curtain call in "Mannywood"? Ramírez, who reached base five times in Game 4, said he's not looking at it that way. "I don't even think about that," he said. "We just need to win to keep playing. That's what I want and that's what I'm going to think about."