Unlikely heroes lift Phils

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers’ strategy to stop home run king Ryan Howard and reigning Most Valuable Player Jimmy Rollins has worked to perfection in the National League Championship Series.

The other guys have been a different story.

The Philadelphia Phillies, with Howard and Rollins batting .152 with no homers and one RBI, still find themselves on the brink of their first World Series trip in 15 years.

“Jimmy and myself, we’re going to have our time, but the great thing about it is that everybody else has kind of picked us up and put us on their backs,” Howard said.

The Phillies lead the NLCS 3-1 with ace Cole Hamels on the mound tonight against Chad Billingsley.

“It’s huge for us that we’ve had so many unlikely heroes,” Howard said. “It’s just a different person coming in and stepping up. You never know where it’s going to come from. It doesn’t matter who it is, as long as it keeps happening.”

It was Matt Stairs on Monday night, hitting his first homer in a month. It was pitcher Brett Myers in Game 2, producing three hits and driving in three runs. And it’s center fielder Shane Victorino, who is hitting .188 but has six RBIs.

“Who thought Myers was going to get three hits?” Phillies outfielder Geoff Jenkins asked. “You couldn’t draw that up. You could have bet your whole life earnings that Brett Myers would not get three hits off Chad Billingsley.

“But that’s what the postseason is about. Things kind of happen that usually don’t happen.”