BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS : Phillies Even Confounding Themselves

The makes-no-sense Philadelphia Phillies victories in Games 4 and 5 left people talking:

--Denis Menke, the Phillies’ hitting coach who has been in baseball for 37 years:

“There isn’t as much talent here as on some teams I’ve seen, but they make more out of what talent they have than any team I’ve seen. They just grind you down.

“They may not know how they’re going to do it, but they do it. I mean, the Braves kicked the hell out of us twice, then we come back and win two one-run games. There’s no explanation.”

--Bullpen coach Mike Ryan:

“I was with the Red Sox team of ‘67, with Yaz, and the ’80 Phillies, with all those future Hall of Famers (Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, etc.), but this is the best team I’ve ever been around. Nothing it does makes sense.”

--Reliever Larry Andersen, 40 and in his 13th major league season:

“I don’t think there’s any question that the Braves have more talent than we do. That’s the truth. I don’t think anyone would argue with that.

“But you can’t measure heart and guts and fight and attitude. I mean, people think we’re just a bunch of goofy characters. More has been said about that than what fighters we are. All those people who said we didn’t have a chance forgot that.”

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It has become routine for Curt Schilling to leave a ticket for his late father, Cliff, on the day he pitches.

Monday, when he pitched another strong eight innings in Game 5, the Phillies’ right-hander also left tickets for Charles and Donald Brewer.

Charles Brewer, who died of cancer Friday, was the grandfather of his wife, Shonda. Donald Brewer is Shonda’s father, who did not attend the game because he had left for Baltimore to make funeral arrangements.

“This has been a rough few days for us,” Shonda Schilling told the Philadelphia Daily News, “but Curt and I are firm believers that you can draw strength from difficult situations.”