Los Angeles, CA -- (Sports Network) - Shane Victorino stared into the Dodgers dugout after blasting his game-tying two-run homer in the eighth, then pinch- hitter Matt Stairs glared into the Los Angeles night to follow his towering go-ahead two-run shot moments later, as Philadelphia rallied to take a 7-5 win and move within one victory of its first World Series appearance since 1993.

Victorino, one of seven players and coaches fined for their roles in the bean war that began with Phillies starter Brett Myers throwing behind Manny Ramirez in Game 2 and reached a crescendo when Hiroki Kuroda just missed Victorino's head in a retaliation attempt in Los Angeles' 7-2 victory on Sunday, made the final statement in the fourth game of the National League Championship Series.

The Phillies center fielder, playing with a heavy heart after his grandmother's death last Friday, hit a down-and-in Cory Wade (0-1) offering just over the top of the right-field wall to tie the game at 5-5.

"Cory Wade threw a breaking ball, it stayed up, and Shane just knocked the hell out of it," Dodgers manager Joe Torre surmised.

As he reached first base, Victorino pumped his fist and glared straight into the Dodgers dugout has he made the turn toward second.

"I was not expecting a curve ball," said Victorino. "I was trying to put a good swing on it. We stole a little bit of their momentum right there."

The hit scored Ryan Howard, who led off the inning with a single off Hong-Chih Kuo.

"This team, we all pull for each other," said Victorino. "This team is full of superstars, but it takes 25 guys collectively, and it showed tonight."

Stairs soon followed with an even bigger blow, the type of hit general manager Pat Gillick envisioned when he shipped promising minor-league southpaw Fabio Castro to Toronto for the veteran left-handed slugger as the season turned the page to September.

Jonathan Broxton had not allowed a home run since July 2006 and had allowed just one earned run over the last month-plus, including the postseason, before falling behind Stairs 3-1. Broxton threw a 95-mph straight fastball that Stairs was waiting for, and it ended up in a two-run moon shot to right that scored Carlos Ruiz, who had singled with two outs.

"I was very fortunate to connect on one tonight. I'm not going to hit a single and steal second base. So I just had to swing hard and elevate," said Stairs.

The power onslaught made a winner of Ryan Madson (1-0), who gave up just one hit and one walk in 1 2/3 effective frames. Brad Lidge come on for a rare four-out save to put the Phillies up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

"Going up 3-1 is huge," said Lidge. "We had to do everything we had tonight to get this win. What we're thinking about now is to get Game 5. We want it bad right now."

It wasn't without trepidation. Ramirez doubled with two outs in the eighth and Russell Martin raced to first on a wild pitch following what would have been an inning-ending strikeout. James Loney popped out, Lidge navigated through the ninth and the Phillies improved to 85-0 this year when leading after eight innings.

"You have to try it to see if it will work. He's the guy that is supposed to be out there and that's how I felt," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said about calling on Lidge for the four-out save.

The Phillies now turn to ace Cole Hamels to punch their ticket to the Fall Classic. He will be opposed in Wednesday's Game 5 by Chad Billingsley. The teams traded four-game sweeps in the regular season and each continued the home-cooking trend by winning at home until Monday.

Just like the Dodgers did one game earlier, the Phillies jumped out to a quick edge in the top of the first. Jimmy Rollins attacked Derek Lowe's sinker with a single back through the middle and advanced to third on Jayson Werth's base hit to left. Chase Utley followed with a protective swing, a hooking grounder that hugged the first-base line for an RBI double and a 1-0 lead. Howard hit the first pitch he saw into the shift for an RBI groundout and a 2-0 edge. Lowe slipped out of further damage by inducing a Victorino double play later in the frame.

The Dodgers got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame. Rafael Furcal played to Greg Dobbs' inexperience at third, seeing the infielder inch closer to play for a bunt and punching a bloop fly over his head for a single. Manuel chose to intentionally walk Ramirez with one out, and Loney made him pay with an RBI double that caromed off the top of the right-center field wall.

Both pitchers settled into a comfort zone until the Dodgers broke through to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Furcal worked a leadoff walk off Phillies starter Joe Blanton and Ethier singled before Ramirez pulled a down- and-away offspeed pitch into left field. Furcal ran through the stop sign and slid in safely just in front of Pat Burrell's strong throw for a tie game. Martin's subsequent groundout plated Ethier for a 3-2 advantage.

The Phillies tied the contest in their next at-bat as Howard walked and Burrell singled to start the rally. Victorino bunted both runners into scoring position, but Pedro Feliz couldn't drive in a run, hitting a shallow pop out to right. However, Chan Ho Park's wild pitch with Ruiz at the plate scored a hard-charging Howard for a 3-3 score.

Los Angeles again regained the momentum in the home half of the sixth. Casey Blake hooked an offspeed pitch just over the wall in left-center field for the lead, and Juan Pierre followed with a double into the gap in left-center. Matt Kemp walked as a pinch-hitter and Furcal attempted to bunt both runners over one base. However, Howard's throw to first was well wide of the covering Utley, scoring a run and advancing the advanced to second and third. Ethier lined out and Ramirez was intentionally walked before Martin lined out to Utley, who lunged with his glove to touch second base and record the unassisted double play.

Philadelphia played the typical long ball its been known for all season against several relievers in the eighth.

Both starters pitched effectively through five frames. Lowe, pitching on three days' rest, gave up just the two first-inning runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Blanton surrendered three runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

"You never want to get off to a start like that," said Lowe. "I put us in a 2-0 hole. I've got no one to be frustrated with but myself."

Game Notes

Ramirez has driven in at least one run in 10 of his last 11 LCS games, including a major-league record eight straight...The Phillies snapped a six- game losing streak at Chavez Ravine...Victorino's two-RBI game gave him 11 in the postseason, eclipsing a franchise-record 10, which was set by Lenny Dykstra in the team's 1993 playoff run...The Phillies have scored at least four runs in an inning five times during this postseason...Undisclosed fines were handed out to Dodgers players Kuroda and Ramirez, as well as LA third- base coach Larry Bowa and first-base coach Mariano Duncan. Phillies players J.C. Romero and Victorino, and first-base coach Davey Lopes were also fined for their roles in Sunday night's bench-clearing incident...Stairs' homer was his first-ever in postseason play...Ruiz had two hits for the Phillies, while Loney, Blake and Pierre collected two hits apiece for the Dodgers...Utley finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI...Stairs' pinch-hit home run was the first in an NLCS game since Chris Duncan's shot for the Cardinals in Game Five of the 2006 NLCS against the New York Mets...The Dodgers tied an LCS record with seven pitchers used in a nine-inning game.