Oct. 4 -- OLD-MAN MOYER

BY SCOTT LAUBER

MILWAUKEE -- Jamie Moyer simply refuses to act his age.

Moyer -- at 45, the majors' oldest player -- led the Phillies with 16 wins during the regular season, becoming the oldest pitcher to post that many victories since knuckleballing Phil Niekro in 1986. And tonight, when he takes the ball for Game 3 of the NLDS, he'll be the second-oldest pitcher ever to start a playoff game, behind only Jack Quinn, who was 46 during the 1929 World Series.

But here's the thing about Moyer: He has always been the same pitcher.

He even has the scouting report to prove it.

Wherever Moyer goes, he carries a crinkled sheet of paper with the following words written on it by Cubs scout Billy Blitzer, who watched Moyer work out in 1984: Throws fastball 84, occasionally 85-86.

"It's nothing to brag about, I know," Moyer said yesterday. "None of the ink really jumps off the page. It more or less just says, you know what, he's got average stuff, he likes to compete, he's learning how to pitch, and he's left-handed, so you never know what can happen."

You certainly never expect a 22-year major-league career. But there's probably no pitcher -- Cole Hamels and Brett Myers included -- that the Phillies would rather have on the mound tonight.

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Ryan Howard hasn't hit a fair ball during the series. Not one. Then again, he has seen so few strikes that he has taken only nine swings in eight plate appearances.

Howard, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell are a combined 1-for-17, yet the Phils somehow have a 2-0 series lead. But, clearly, the offense has to start slugging at some point for the Phillies to keep winning. Right?

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Since the Division Series was created in 1995, only four teams have recovered from a 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five series. Will the Brewers join the 1995 Mariners, the 1999 Red Sox, the 2001 Yankees and the 2003 Red Sox? The Phillies certainly hope not. Also, within the notebook, Geoff Jenkins talks about the challenges of playing under the Miller Park roof.

More in a bit from the ballpark.