MILWAUKEE — Pat Burrell wasn't taking any chances.

The Philadelphia Phillies' left-fielder took off on what passes as a dead run for him when he greeted Jeff Suppan's 2-2 fastball with two runners on in the third inning Sunday.

"I thought, 'Oh man, it's got a chance,' '' Burrell recalled of the biggest home run of his career, one that gave the Phillies a comfortable 4-0 lead en route to their 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that pushed them into the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 "By the time I looked up, it was dead quiet. It was so quiet, I knew something good was happening.''

Burrell is the longest tenured Phillie, which in that part of the country means he's the target of the rabid Phillies fans.

But there should be no doubt those fans are on his side right now. If he needed any reassurance, it probably came in the eighth inning when he tagged reliever Guillermo Mota for a solo home run to account for the Phillies' final run.

By silencing the crowd at Miller Park, Burrell may have accomplished what the Phillies needed most.

"You've got to give a lot of credit to the fans here,'' he said. "They really packed it in and made it tough for us. They just didn't let up on us.''

When Burrell's bat wasn't silencing the crowd, the right arm of Phillies starter Joe Blanton was. 

"He definitely wasn't scared of nothing,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of the Blanton, acquired in July from the Oakland Athletics. "He went right after their big hitters and he didn't back away.''

Sheets ponders future

While CC Sabathia is drawing much of the attention about his future, right-hander Ben Sheets also is facing the prospects of making a big free agent paycheck via free agency. While Sabathia was more inclined to discuss the possibilities of staying a Brewer, Sheets downplayed the chances.

"Never say never. You don't know,'' he said. "I don't know what (the Brewers are) doing. That's not for me to worry about. I haven't spent one minute even thinking about that.''

Asked if he wants an offer from the Brewers, Sheets didn't appear interested, at least for now. "To me, it doesn't really matter,'' he said. "This is a good team, a great team. But I'm not going to worry about where I end up. It's going to play (it) out. I'm going to be somewhere.''

Sheets was not on the playoff roster because of an elbow injury that hampered him the final month of the season.

So does Sveum

Interim manager Dale Sveum was talking about what he thinks the Brewers need to do to get better next season, which brought the inevitable question: Is he coming back as the manager without the interim tag?

"I guess I'm being optimistic when I'm talking,'' he said. "Who knows? We'll probably know something soon.''

General manager Doug Melvin declined interviews after the game, asking that he be given a few days to let the season settle before he begins to address issues concerning the team for next year. Owner Mark Attanasio deferred, too, saying that was a decision for Melvin.

Weeks needs surgery

Second baseman Rickie Weeks will undergo surgery on his left knee to repair torn cartilage, an injury that occurred while trying to beat out an infield hit in Saturday night's victory over the Phillies.

Weeks was removed from the playoff roster before Game 4 and replaced by shortstop Alcides Escobar. Assistant general manager Gord Ash said it was uncertain when Weeks would undergo surgery on the torn meniscus.