Cliff Lee allowed just three hits in eight innings as the Philadelphia Phillies destroyed the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-0 in Game Three of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park.

Lee struck out 10 while Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth also had big games as the reigning World Series champions moved 2-1 ahead on the best-of-seven series.

Lee retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced, and did not allow a runner to reach second until Ronnie Belliard advanced in the seventh.

The Phillies got stuck into Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda in the first inning, racking up four runs to quickly erase the memories of their narrow defeat in Game Two at Dodger Stadium on Friday.

Shane Victorino and Chase Utley hit singles before Howard chipped in with a triple to hand the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Werth then stepped up with a huge home run to centre field which also scored Howard and took the score out to 4-0.

Kuroda gave up two more runs in the second as Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins both doubled, and it was no surprise when the Dodgers replaced Kuroda - who had allowed six hits and six runs in less than two full innings - with Scott Elbert.

Ruiz's single and Pedro Feliz's RBI triple took the score out to 8-0 in the fifth before Lee capped a great night by scoring on Victorino's three-run homer.