In case you missed the memo, the Brewers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 1982. As a service to those unfortunate souls who couldn't ditch work to watch the game, we offer an in-game blog that followed the action in Philadelphia's 3-1 victory.

FINAL WORD -- The Brewers were victimized by shaky defense and silent bats in this game. Phillies starter Cole Hamels was brilliant, but the Brewers put up little resistance.

A botched bunt play (Bill Hall and Rickie Weeks) and a misjudged line drive that eluded Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron set the stage for all of Philadelphia's runs in the third. 

The Brewers pushed across a run in the ninth against Phillies closer Brad Lidge, but the hard-throwing right-hander fanned Prince Fielder and Corey Hart to end the threat and seal the victory. 

Game 2 is slated for 5 p.m. Thursday. Here is a look at what happened Wednesday.

PHILLIES WIN, 3-1

NINTH INNING
Phillies 3, Brewers 0

The Phillies did go with closer Brad Lidge, who was named the National League's Comeback Player of the Year on Tuesday even though he wasn't horrible last year in Houston. The Phillies are on the brink of their first post-season victory since the 1993 World Series. 

The top of the Brewers' order is up, but that shouldn't matter.
Mike Cameron takes a 3-2 slider for a called third strike. Ray Durham, who will likely start in Game 2, punches a single to right-center.

Lidge has a tremendous slider and a great fastball. He's mixing his pitches to Ryan Braun. With the count 3-2, Braun lines a double into the corner. Durham held up at third, but ends up scoring when Utley falls down and drops the relay throw from Werth.  Utley is charged with an error, which takes an RBI away from Braun.

The Phillies now have to face Prince Fielder, the tying run. Lidge will likely work around Fielder and get to J.J. Hardy. Philadelphia can't afford for Fielder to homer here and tie the game. This is the formula the Brewers have followed: end an offensive coma with a well-placed homer. 

Down in the count, 1-2, Fielder looks at a slider in the dirt and then fouls off two pitches. Lidge doesn't want to throw him a fastball. It's all sliders. Prince looks at a slider away and the count is full. 

Fielder finally gets a fastball, which is out of the zone, and he swings through what would have been Ball 4.

J.J. Hardy is the Brewers' last hope. He's 2 for 9 against the right-hander in his career. But, he's also less of a threat than Fielder.

After looking at a low pitch, Hardy swings at a disappearing slider for strike one and then takes a high fastball and a bounced slider to get ahead in the count, 3-1.  Hardy likes to hit high fastballs, but he doesn't get one. He draws a walk to extend the inning for Corey Hart. 

Hart is hitless on the day. Lidge is at 30 pitches now, which could help the Brewers in Game 2.  The runners advance on a wild pitch. A single will now tie the game. The Phillies are doing what they can to keep the Brewers alive. 

Pitching from the windup, Lidge gets another strike on Hart. The count is 1-2; the crowd is waving their soaking wet rally towels. Hart takes another ball down in the zone. 

With the count even, Lidge blows a fastball by Hart to ice the victory.  Lidge strikes out the side, but it isn't easy.

EIGHTH INNING
Phillies 3, Brewers 0

Tony Gwynn, Jr., tried to bunt his way on, but Hamels made a nifty defensive play and retired the next two hitters without incident. The Brewers are simply not putting up a fight on offense. Hamels is dominating them. It doesn't look like the Phillies will need Brad Lidge, who by the way has converted 41 of 41 saves this season. 

Manny Parra relieves Villanueva, who was outstanding. Parra, who is throwing a heavy fastball, retires Chase Utley and walks Ryan Howard. When Eric Bruntlett grounds up the middle, J.J. Hardy dives and stops it but can't get a throw to Craig Counsell.

Shane Victorino forces Bruntlet at second, but Milwaukee can't turn a double play. Parra is done for the day and Guillermo Mota gets the call. Victorino steals second, but Counsell runs down a broken-bat flare by Feliz to end the inning.

SEVENTH INNING
Phillies 3, Brewers 0

The Brewers are running out of time. With indomitable closer Brad Lidge in the bullpen, you pretty much have to get to the Phillies in the first eight. Right now, it's not looking good. 

Prince Fielder grounds out on the first pitch. J.J. Hardy grounds out on the third pitch. Corey Hart lines out on the first pitch. The Brewers look completely overmatched against Hamels.

The only positive development for Milwaukee right now is Carlos Villanueva, who strikes out the side in the seventh and has retired all seven men he has faced. 

That's the function of a long man. Keep your team in the game and hope the hitters wake up in time to do some damage. The formula worked last week for the Brewers, but it sure seems unlikely today. The offense looks absolutely pathetic.

Phillies 3, Brewers 0

SIXTH INNING
Phillies 3, Brewers 0

This might be as close as the Brewers come to a rally today. After a Jason Kendall strikeout, Craig Counsell hits for Stetter and singles. Mike Cameron draws a walk. With the tying run at the plate, Bill Hall swings through a 2-2 changeup and Ryan Braun flies out on a first-pitch changeup.

In the bottom of the inning,  Villanueva retires the side on nine pitches. Philles 3, Brewers 0.

FIFTH INNING
Phillies 3, Brewers 0

The offensive woes continue for the Brewers. Fielder strikes out on a 3-2 fastball. Hardy rolls over and grounds to short. This is getting ugly. Corey Hart, one of the colder hitters in baseball the past few weeks (his three-pitch strikeout Sunday against Chicago was atrocious), falls behind in the count, 0-2. Hart singles, though, snapping a streak of 17 in a row for Hamels. 

Sometimes, pitchers who have been cruising get into trouble when they have to throw from the stretch for the first time. That's not a problem for Hamels, who freezes Rickie Weeks for his sixth strikeout of the day.

Gallardo is out of the game. Mitch Stetter is on the mound for the Brewers, ostensibly to face lefties Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. It always strikes me as strange that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel doesn't put a right-handed batter between these two in order to split up his lefties. 

Utley grounds out to third.  Burrell lines to Braun. Carlos Villanueva replaces Stetter and retires Pat Burrell on a fly to left. Phillies 3, Brewers 0

FOURTH INNING
Phillies 3, Brewers 0

On a side note, Bon Jovi is getting heavy airtime during the TBS broadcast. The boys from Jersey are threatening to steal the broadcast from Frank Caliendo, in fact. Nothing against Bon Jovi, but I'm not sure I want to visit whatever town they love this week. 

The Brewers haven't figured out Hamels' changeup. They go down in order for the fourth time in a row. There are strong echoes of the last two games against the Cubs. Hamels is a good pitcher, but the Brewers don't seem to have a game plan. It looks like they are all trying to pull the ball, when the better approach may be to serve it to the opposite field.

Gallardo, back for another inning, retires the Phillies' battery, Ruiz and Hamels, to open the inning then gives up a two-out hit to Rollins, who is always a threat to steal. Villanueva is getting hot quickly, but Werth fouls out to Fielder to end the inning.

The weather isn't getting better. Word is that it could start raining harder in about an hour.  Phillies 3, Brewers 0.

THIRD INNING
(No score)

The Brewers' offensive woes are continuing in the first three innings. Hamels, who is commanding his changeup, has retired the first nine men in order and Gallardo's flyball to left was the best-struck ball during the first trip through the order.

TBS cameras caught Dana DeMuth talking to a groundskeeper between innings. The weather report "could go either way." apparently, it could keep raining lightly or starting pouring. DeMuth decides to keep playing. It's windy out, which helped keep Gallardo's flyball in the park.

Gallardo hangs a 2-1 curveball to catcher Carlos Ruiz, who strokes a single to center. Hamels follows with a sacrifice attempt. Bill Hall fields the ball, which could have been a double play because Ruiz is slow. Hall bobbled the ball momentarily, then fired a throw to first and watches in horror as Weeks drops the ball. The Phillies have runners at first and second with nobody out. It was a brutal play by Weeks, who has hurt the Brewers repeatedly with his defensive lapses.

Gallardo, who is usually unflappable under pressure, gets Rollins on a wind-swept flyball to left. 

Gallardo, who is having a bit of trouble with his curve, strikes out Werth on a 92 mph fastball. On a 2-1 count, Utley slaps a line drive just outside the foul line in left. On the next pitch, Utley hammers a line drive to center. Cameron, a three-time Gold Glove winner, broke in on the ball initially and could not recover. It clanged off his glove and two runs scored.

The Brewers' defense has punished them once again.

Howard receives an intentional walk to bring up Pat (bad back) Burrell, who draws Gallardo's fourth walk of the day on a tantalizingly close breaking ball. 

Mike Maddux visits the mound, apparently to let Gallardo catch his breath. Calros Villanueva is warming up. Gallardo's 33rd pitch of the inning elicits a check swing from Victorino.

Now the count is full and the bases are loaded. Gallardo misses with a fastball. It's 3-0, Philadelphia. Gallardo has walked five batters, four intentionally. It looks like this will be his last inning. The botched sacrifice play is looming very large now. Plays like that always do during the playoffs. 

Feliz flies out to end the threat. The Brewers have their work cut out for them now. Philadelphia sent nine men to the plate in the third. The Brewers sent nine to the plate in their first three at-bats. PHILLIES 3, BREWERS 0.

SECOND INNING
(No score)

A rain has started to fall over Citizens Bank Park. Lightnight flashed in the distance, too. 

The Brewers didn't bring any thunder in the top of the frame. They went down in order against Hamels.

Gallardo opened the second by walking Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who was quickly erased on a first-pitch, double-play grounder from Pat Burrell. Burrell is bothered by a sore back. He left the field in pain during the workout Tuesday. 

Gallardo walks Shane Victorino, a pesky player whose main skill is speed.  Gallardo normally has good control. You wonder if this is a sign of rust or rain. Gallardo is missing with his fastball, which is a daunting sign. After falling behind in the count, he retires Pedro Feliz on a fielder's choice. Brewers 0, Phillies 0.

FIRST INNING
(No score)

Lefty Cole Hamels is starting for the Phillies. The 24-year-old lefty worked 227 1/3 innings during the regular season, which placed him second in the National League behind New York's Johan Santana (234 1/3).

Efficiency is a big reason Hamels worked a lot of innings. Hamels appears to be on his game early. He strikes out Mike Cameron, gets Bill Hall on a popup and punches out Ryan Braun to cap a 14-pitch first inning.

Gallardo looks equally sharp. He gets Jimmy Rollins on a hard grounder to second, strikes out Jayson Werth and gets Chase Utley to line out to Fielder. Gallardo threw 12 pitches, nine strikes. Brewers 0, Phillies 0.

PREGAME

The temperature at Citizens Bank Park is 70 degrees, but it is very overcast (the lights are on) and there is a chance for showers.

The Brewers are wearing their blue jerseys. They often wear them during day games.

According to a few gambling houses, the over / under for this game is eight runs. The over / under for "FrankTV" commercials featuring Waukesha South / UW-Milwaukee graduate Frank Caliendo is 8,000.

Brian Anderson, John Smoltz and Joe Simpson are calling the action today for TBS. The game looks spectacular in hi-def.

Three Brewers starters were not born in 1982: pitcher Yovani Gallardo, first baseman Prince Fielder and leftfielder Ryan Braun. J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart were born in the months leading up to Milwaukee's only World Series appearance.