2010 NLCS San Francisco Giants Vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Five Bold Predictions
Here we are once again. There is really nothing quite like October baseball. We spent all summer weeding out the undeserving teams and went from 30 to what will soon be four.
With the National League series all set and ready to roll, the Giants and Phillies pose some interesting matchups.
The dominance established by the three Philly starters against the Reds could force Bruce Bochy to become more aggressive in trying to push any runs across.
Philly certainly looks like the class of the NL this year. I have scoured the National League and found only two teams that could matchup against the Phillies: the Rockies and the Cardinals. Luckily for the Phillies, neither made the Playoffs.
The Giants did, however, and after dispatching the Braves in four games with some help from the umpiring crew and Brooks Conrad, they stare at the best team they've played all year.
Oh yeah, and the Phillies are also playing their best ball of the year. Poor Giants.
And with that, let's dive in to the five bold predictions...
Giants Score Less than Three Total Runs in Philly
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After waiting over a decade to make his Playoff debut, Roy Halladay pitched like he was in a hurry to get it over with. Roy pitched just the second no-hitter in postseason history and was just a walk away from making it perfect.
Halladay pitched against the Giants once this season and got roughed up a little. He pitched seven innings giving up five earned on 10 hits.
The problem with using this game as a for instance is that Halladay is coming off his second best start of the year and appeared to have no postseason jitters whatsoever.
Expect Game 1 to be over rather quickly.
The man on the hill for Game 2 will be the other Roy picked up by the Phils this year, Oswalt. He struggled a bit in his first start against the Reds, but they still got the win.
Roy may have been a bit uneasy pitching in front of that crowd as he surrendered a leadoff HR to Brandon Phillips in the first.
He labored through the next four innings and left the game losing. Two of the three earned runs Roy gave up came off of solo shots, one being a majestic shot off the bat of Jay Bruce.
Having pitched in a World Series, Oswalt is no stranger to the spotlight he will be under. Look for a big game out of him in Game 2 against a stagnant Giants' lineup.
Shane Victorino Wins Series MVP
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Victorino just has that looks of a guy who is ready to bust out. He hit just .231 against Cincinnati, but had some good looks at the plate and simply wasn't rewarded for his hard work.
The Flyin' Hawaiian should be able to take advantage of some weary arms in the S.F. bullpen after that last series. He has always been someone who makes consistent solid contact and with how hard the Giants pitchers throw, that could end up in some extra base hits.
Once on base, expect Victorino to test the young backstop Buster Posey and force him to make a perfect throw.
I see Shane showing some pop in the two games at home and really using that triples alley at At&T Park to his advantage. Victorino will pepper the big outfield gaps and could have more than one triple, which would be a real catalyst for the Philly offense.
Matt Cain Struggles Mightily
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Matt Cain pitched pretty well in that Game 2 loss to the Braves in the NLDS.
He showed some of the doubters that he can pitch up to his potential in a big game situation. No earned runs through 6.2 innings will do that. Unfortunately for Matt, this is not the Atlanta Braves starting nine.
The Phillies bring a big offensive lineup to the table with a flurry of great left and right handed bats including: Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. That's two MVPs and four All-Stars in half of the Philly lineup, scary.
There is also a bit of history here. Cain has matched up against this Philadelphia lineup, or some version of it, five times. In those five starts, Cain has only 26 IP with an ERA over six. That doesn't bode well for a Game 2 start on the road.
If given the option, Bochy would likely prefer to have Cain start Game 3 at home, but he needs to try to get a win in Philly, which is unlikely to happen against Roy Halladay.
I see Cain not getting out of the sixth inning, giving up at least four runs and taking the loss.
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Tim Lincecum Starts and Wins Game 4
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Down 3-0 in the series after being dominated by Cole Hamels the night before, Bruce Bochy goes to his ace on three days rest to get a win for the Gigantes.
Unlikely to best Roy Halladay in Philadelphia, Lincecum may be pulled early on if the Giants trail by three or more to keep him fresh for a Game 4 start.
That really would not be a bad strategy by Bochy, in fact, if I were in his situation I may throw Cain Game 1 to see if I get lucky and then look for a Game 2 win out of Lincecum, but that is not going to happen.
Off a low pitch count outing in Philly, Lincecum bests Kyle Kendrick or Joe Blanton even on short rest nine times out of 10. The Giants only need to push one or two across to give Timmy all the room he needs.
Lincecum proved his worth in a shutout against the Braves, and although this offense looks like something out of a video game, he should be good enough to get the Giants in the win column by next weekend.
We're Not Coming Back to Philly
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This series ends in five in San Francisco, and Giants fans get to focus on their 0-5 football team!
The three-headed pitching monster of Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels will be plenty good enough to get the Phillies to their third straight World Series appearance.
Combine that with an offense that feasts on mistakes, of which Jonathan Sanchez, the Game 3 starter, has been known to make many. After shaking off the loss to Lincecum, the Phillies send Doc Halladay back out to shut it down, which he does with relative ease.
Matt Cain puts up a fight at home and bends without breaking, but the Giants' bullpen gives up a crooked number in the seventh or eighth and Lidge comes in to lock it down.
In the end, the Giants are simply overmatched everywhere on the field. Their pitching is good, Philly's is better. Their hitting can be streaky, Philly's is gaudy. Their defense is solid, Philly's is stellar.
Too bad for the Giants, it's simply not their year. They will be back though, and with some more firepower.
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