Dodgers sweep Cardinals

Late-season acquisition Vicente Padilla limited the St. Louis Cardinals to four hits and Andre Ethier struck the big blow in a 5-1 Los Angeles victory Saturday night to send the L.A. Dodgers into the National League Championship Series.

Ethier hit a two-run home run in the third inning to help the Dodgers sweep St. Louis in three games in their best-of-five divisional series.

Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton blew the ball past Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan to close matters in the ninth.

Los Angeles will play for the National League title for the second straight season, having lost to Philadelphia last year. The Dodgers have not been in the World Series since winning it in 1988.

"Anytime you win a series, it's good," said Casey Blake. "But to sweep the Cardinals, it just doesn't happen. I would have never guessed we would have swept them."

Manny Ramirez was key to the final win, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs batted in. Ramirez had gone just 1-for-8 during the first two games for Los Angeles.

"I was just was trying to be more aggressive," Ramirez said. "Anything on the plate, I was ready for."

But Padilla was the big story. Since being jettisoned by the Texas Rangers in August, he has gone 5-0 in eight starts for Los Angeles.

4 strikeouts

Padilla worked seven scoreless innings at Busch Stadium, striking out four and walking one.

"Big lineup," Padilla said through an interpreter. "I just tried to make the pitches that I knew I was capable of throwing."

The right-hander had to work out of a big jam early on. He loaded the bases with two outs in the first but induced Yadier Molina into a weak grounder to end the inning.

Los Angeles had gone up 1-0 on St. Louis starter Joel Pineiro by that point. Matt Kemp hit safely and then came across on Ramirez's first double.

Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, on base when Ethier hit his blast in the third, knocked in another run in the fourth with a base hit to make it 4-0.

Ethier had just one home run in his last 12 games of the season.

"To show up now and contribute and be a main guy, it's nice to come through," said Ethier.

Pineiro departed after the fourth, having yielded seven hits while striking out three.

St. Louis reliever John Smoltz made made his 41st and possibly last post-season appearance. The longtime Atlanta Brave was in his 14th career relief appearance.

Smoltz struck out four in two innings of work but allowed the second run-scoring Ramirez double in the seventh.

Albert Pujols, the only St. Louis player with two hits, knocked in Julio Lugo to finally get the Cardinals on the board with two outs in the eighth.

"From the get-go, they beat us to the punch all night," said manager Tony La Russa. "So give them credit."

Dodgers skipper Joe Torre is making a 14h consecutive post-season appearance, the first dozen spent with the New York Yankees before joining Los Angeles prior to last season. He has reached the championship series stage for the ninth time in his managerial career.

St. Louis was making its first post-season appearance since winning the World Series in 2006.