Kuzul

In the final game of the 1997 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins, Florida shortstop Edgar Renteria (who was just in his second season) drove in Craig Counsell on a walk-off single to win the championship. 13 years later, Renteria can credit himself with delivering yet another championship.

With a three-run home run in the top of the 7th, Edgar Renteria propelled the San Francisco Giants to their first World Series win since 1954. It is their first since moving to California, having reached the World Series four times, including coming up just short in 2002 against interstate rival Anaheim.

The Giants won the game by a score of 3-1 after an impressive pitching performance by Tim Lincecum, his second start of the series. He dueled against free agency-bound Cliff Lee, who went seven innings and allowed the big shot to Renteria. The Rangers fell into a deficit they could not dig themselves out of, even with a solo-shot by Nelson Crúz (his sixth of the postseason). Giants closer Brian Wilson, who had been rather lights-out all postseason long, sealed the deal by getting the aforementioned Crúz to strikeout swinging.

San Francisco entered the second-half of the season trailing division-rival San Diego, yet managed to power forward towards an NL West title after the latter played poorly down the stretch. They successfully knocked off the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, as Cody Ross (who had been claimed off of waivers earlier in the summer) slugged his way into playoff galore. After conquering the defending NL champion Phillies, San Francisco would go on to lose only once in Game 3 to Texas.

Even with poor ratings predicted (and eventually being sustained), the Giants managed to pull through. In a season filled with unlikelihood, the San Francisco Giants proved that just about anything can happen.

This article can be found on SportsFullCircle!

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The ghosts of opportunities lost can swirl and haunt in an instant, and any temptation for the San Francisco Giants or their fans to look ahead to an assumed World Series title must be stifled.

As Giants fans tingle with the anticipation of a clinching opportunity tonight in Game 5 of the 2010 World Series, the demons of the 2002 World Series are on-deck and ready to swarm.

These ghosts hold permanent residence in the collective memory of all Giants fans.  One need only ask if the name “Scott Spiezio” means anything to a Giants fan, and the resulting expression alone from your victim should aid in clearing up any confusion.

That is, if you don’t get punched first.    

Unfortunately, there is no shelf life attached to the lost moments and horrible memories connected to the recent history of the San Francisco Giants and the World Series.  

I can close my eyes right now and see Dusty Baker handing the ball to Russ Ortiz.  I can remember the 5-run lead in the 7^th inning, and the red noisemakers clanged by the Anaheim Angel fans.  I remember being eight outs away, and slapping fives with my buddies.  I remember watching the rally monkey on the screen, and wishing hateful things.  I remember Brendan Donnelly in his goggles striking out seemingly everybody, and then Mr. Spiezo and his bleached hair, hitting a 3-run bomb that changed the entire complexion of the Series.  

Finally, the very next evening, I remember the Angels beating us and becoming the 2002 World Series Champions.    

It was eight years ago, but that collapse is all there for me in vivid, mental color whenever I don’t want it.  It stings, and is as accessible as the memory of being dumped in the Mountain View Tower Records parking lot by my high school girlfriend.  

Yes, the parking lot.       

As for past gut punches, I can’t accurately speak to the sinking emotions surrounding the 1962 World Series for the older generation of Giants fans, because I never had to live through it.  For anyone witnessing Willie McCovey line out to Bobby Richardson that afternoon at Candlestick Park, the finality of it must have been overwhelming.

By all accounts, McCovey crushed the ball, one that a foot to either side of Richardson would have probably scored Willie Mays from second base with the Series-winning run for the Giants.  Instead, that same crowd, who only a half-second before had been rising to their feet anticipating history, were now cut down where they stood.  

Any visions of Market Street parades that day, lost forever to the sight of a New York Yankees celebration on the Candlestick infield. 

It must have been truly awful, but that is as far as I want to take it.  Any further conjecture risks being disrespectful to the fans in attendance, as well as those listening to Lon Simmons on radios all around the Bay Area that day in 1962.  Any more personal musings risk being callous to the pain those fans probably carry in their hearts to this very day, some 48 years later. 

That said, with 2002 as stirring in my own mind, I think I can at least relate.

Like all true sports fans, Giants fans love deeply and without remorse.  We attach the same elevated meaning in our lives to clutch hits as we do tape-measure homeruns that put us ahead.  We lionize twenty-something catchers and pitchers, and lose our minds when a second baseman climbs the ladder to snowcone-grab a liner.  

The haunting phantoms thrive in this passion, and are all too ready to delight in bringing the pain of lost chances and failed glory to the very forefront of our minds for another five decades.  The one thing, the only thing, that can render these demons powerless, is when we believe without assumption, and support without any expectation. 

The Giants have an excellent chance tonight to end over 50 years of futility—a chance.  Should that unbelievably sweet event happen, and the San Francisco Giants actually win the 2010 World Series, the very first since moving West, and the very first title for an amazing city, only then will all suffering Giants fans be able to collectively exorcise the nagging ghosts of our history.    

The vast amount of space that those awful ghosts heretofore occupied in our minds, now replaced with an amazing and permanent memory that can be cherished, recounted and retold until the day we die. 

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NOTE: PLAY THE  BELOW MUSIC WHILE YOU READ THIS ARTICLE

The San Francisco Union-Giants marched onto the fields at AT&T Gettysburg under an orange and black sky on this day of 27 October 2010.

General Lee (Cliff) looked to continue his invasion northward after successful campaigns against Fort Tampa and the Yankee outpost in the Bronx.

In the opening rounds of battle, General Lee attempted to flank the Union-Giants with cut fastballs and outlandishly wild curves.

But Calvary Captain Freddy Sanchez and Colonel Aubrey Huff were prepared for this tactic and managed several counter maneuvers, firing doubles to right field.

Lee’s face revealed his thoughts, “this is not going to be like previous battles.”

Furthermore, the doubles were the beginning of an onslaught to the right flank that left Confederate grunt Vladimir Guerrero bloody, limbless and concussed.

With the Confederate Rangers rolling through the countryside of late and Lee evoking the ghost of Julius Caesar, winning this critical battle would be a huge turning point in this World Series War.

Both Generals Lee and Lincecum seemed a little spooked by the magnitude of the battle in the early rounds.

After the first two rounds of battle General Lincecum was in mid-retreat and losing 2-0, but several of his mates,  Cannoneer Juan Uribe and Major Edgar Renteria, made dazzling saves in the field to prevent an even greater deficit.

Meanwhile, General Lincecum took several buck shots to the leg, but bravely fought on.

In the third round of battle, the tide began to change for the Union-Giants.

They spotted Lee with grunt Michael Young, and witnessed Young abandon his General with a costly error. With Lee alone, Scout Andres Torres cornered him and took one for the team in close combat.

That set the stage for Captain Sanchez, who took aim and blasted Lee with a double shot to left center field.

Private First Class Gerald “Buster” Posey, a Southerner by birth but fighting for the North, got his opportunity. He pounded Lee with a golden bullet from his revolver and the score was tied at 2.

Lee’s Confederate mates finally dragged him off his mound bloody and bruised, but not beaten.

The night was still young and the battle would rage on.

General Lincecum kept the pressure on by breezing through the next two rounds of battle.

Then in the bottom of the fifth round of battle, the entire Union-Giant Cavalry arrived with the sound of blaring horns and pounding hooves. Scout Torres fired and landed a double round, followed by a Captain Sanchez double bayonet cut to Lee’s left shoulder.

The tide had turned with the Union-Giants taking a 3-2 lead. Smelling and seeing Lee’s blood, the Union soldiers fought with extra vigor and spirit.

Major Pat Burrell managed a freebie, then Colonel Cody Ross whipped his hatchet into Lee’s left shoulder. The battle score now rested at 4-2 Union-Giants.

Lee’s entire left side was now bleeding profusely. Yet Confederate Senator Ron Washington foolishly believed that Lee could still fight on.

The inspirational leader of the Union-Giants, Colonel Huff, then approached General Lee surreptitiously.

Lee could barely muster a response as Huff grabbed his throat. Lee fired off a harmless shot, which Huff batted right back at him and down his throat.

In close combat, Huff removed his U.S. Union-Giant issued hunting knife from its sheath and cut deeply through and across Lee’s throat, severing his jugular veins and leaving him to gargle and choke to death in his own blood, urine, and feces.

Lee was defeated. His legacy would never be the same. The Union-Giants shouted, “he is not a God!” just as the natives once said after drowning a Spanish Governor.

General Cliff Lee came to Gettysburg an immoral marauder, and left a bloody corpse.

He came to know the meanings of team, divinity, and faith through the acts of the heroes that slayed him.

The world was at peace.

But the Confederate army refused to wave the white flag. So President Bruce Bochy brought out the canons and Cannoneer Juan Uribe.

Uribe fired one massive blast into the heart of the Confederate Army. It was final.

The Union-Giants defeated the Confederate Rangers on 27 October 2010 by a battle score of 11-7.

AT&T Gettysburg would not give way to the invaders.

President Bochy rose to the podium and addressed the gathered:

Two score and twelve years ago our fathers brought forth to this coast a new team, conceived in wood and leather, and dedicated to the proposition that Giants are created superior.

Now we are engaged in a great baseball war, testing whether the Giants, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that World Series War.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those Giants who here gave their lives that the team might live: Mays, McCovey, Marichal, Bonds Sr and Jr, Clark, Krukow, Mitchell, Williams, Kent, Nenn, Aurilia, and more than can be listed.

It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave Giants, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what the Giants did here.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which the Giants who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead Giants we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead Giants shall not have died in vain—that this Giant-nation, under God, shall have a new championship—and that their Superiority, of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Battle Commendations

Freddy Sanchez: Silver Star

Juan Uribe: Congressional Medal of Valor

Aubrey Huff: Silver Bullet

Tim Lincecum: Purple Heart

Message delivered via Pigeon Post…. from Union-Giant Scribe Ray Brennan…

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Much has been said and written about the Giants lackluster offense.

The team batted .257 in 2010, finishing sixteenth while the Rangers hit .276 and finished first.

On the other hand, both teams did hit 162 Home runs finishing tied for tenth.

But pushing aside generalized offensive statistics, something strange happened during the course of the year that only keen eyes were privy to.

The Giants cut up opposing teams’ aces.

Here’s a list of the best ten National League pitchers in 2010 using Earned Run Average, then what the Giants did against them.

1. Josh Johnson, FLA, 2.3
2. Adam Wainwright, STL, 2.42
3. Roy Halladay, PHI, 2.44
4. Jaime Garcia, STL, 2.70
5. Roy Oswalt, HOU, 2.76
6. Tim Hudson, ATL, 2.83
7. R.A. Dickey, NYM, 2.84
8. Ubaldo Jimenez, COL, 2.88
9. Clayton Kershaw, LAD, 2.91
10. Mat Latos, SD, 2.92
    
    

Josh Johnson: The Emperor’s New Clothes

From May 13th, 2010 to July 22nd, 2010, Josh Johnson pitched six innings or more and gave up two earned runs or less in 13 straight starts, a major league record.

Yet, on July 27th he came into AT&T Park in San Francisco and got roughed up.

He gave up three earned runs in seven innings and his historic streak was over.

During his streak he dominated the Phillies (twice), Rangers, Colorado, Dodgers, and Tampa Bay among others.

Sure, the Giants lost the game 6-4 with Johnson getting a No Decision, but the point is they roughed up the best of the best, ended the streak, and showed the Emperor without his clothes.

Johnson’s season began to spiral downward after that with his ERA going from 1.61 to 2.3.

So how did the supposedly anemic Giants manage eight hits and three walks versus the hottest pitcher in the universe?

Adam Wainwright: Good is not Great

On May 24th, Adam Wainwright laced ’em up versus Barry Zito at AT&T park.

Nine innings later, Wainwright had his first loss of the season as the Giants won 2-0.

Zito’s stuff that night was electric as he gave up only three hits while striking out 10 in eight innings of work.

The offense didn’t pound Wainwright into the ground, but they scratched out a respectable two runs and seven hits to get the job done.

The cast of no name misfits proved their mettle against arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last three years.

Roy Hallady: Meet Cody Ross

Not only did the Giants beat Halladay in game one of the NLCS, they marred him in game five and scorched him on April 26th for 10 hits, five earned runs, and his first loss of the season.

His ERA went from 0.82 to 1.80 on that night in April.

How did such a mortal offense give such an immortal legend fits all season?

Jaime Garcia: Not so Fast, Rookie

On April 23rd, the Giants got to the rookie phenom for 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, and 3 walks over 6 innings.

They won the game 4-1. And while it was still early in the year, Garcia’s ERA jumped from 0.69 to 1.42.

Garcia would shut them down later in the year to finish 1-1, despite his 2.7 ERA for the year.

Roy Oswalt: Wile E. Coyote

Roy Oswalt must really, really, really hate the Giants.

Not only did he go 0-3 against them during the regular season with Tim Lincecum showing him the difference between owning Cy Youngs and wishing, but they eventually knocked him out of the playoffs.

Even when he finally got a win against them in Game 2 of the NLCS, he turns right back around a few days later and earns the loss in the ninth inning of Game 4.

Then, he gets cut up again in Game 6 and while not getting the loss he certainly didn’t pitch well enough to get the victory.

How much is he wishing he forced his way onto the Texas Rangers instead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Twenty years from now Roy Oswalt is still going to have nightmares about the San Francisco Giants.

The funniest thing is he’ll think back to their average offense and just scratch his head in bewilderment.

Tim Hudson: Kryptonite

Hudson is the only pitcher in baseball this year who the Giants just didn’t get. Not ever. All year.

Including the playoffs, Hudson went 1-0 with two no decisions.

In 22 innings, he gave up only 10 hits and two earned runs.

Yet even though he was untouchable, the Giants won Game 2 against the Braves in the NLDS.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

R.A. Dickey: Speaking of Lucky

Giants didn’t play him this year. Lucky for him.

Ubaldo “U-boat” Jimenez: A Game He’d Like to Forget

Jimenez starts against the Giants in 2010 netted a 2-2 outcome with him earning two wins against one loss.

His no decision against the Giants on July 3rd, however, was his worst of the year.

The Giants massacred an erratic Jimenez while feasting on seven earned runs in six innings. It was the most earned runs he gave up in 2010.

In his two wins, Jimenez was his typical dominant self. But on September 1st with the stretch run beginning, the Giants beat him 2-1.

Lincecum beat him in that game and also showed him the difference between owning Cy Young awards and wishing.

Clayton Kershaw: Dodger-meat

The Giants went 2-2 in games started by Kershaw in 2010. His two losses include a combined 13 innings, 11 hits, 6 walks, and 6 runs.

Despite his dominant stuff, the Giants kept him honest.

Mat Latos: Keep Your Mouth Shut, Kid

Mat Latos had the Giants number early in the year, but by the end of the year he wished they would just go away.

He faced them six times during the season, and in those six starts the Padres went 2-4.

The Giants offense got to him enough and at the right times, to keep him vexed. Even to the point he started trash talking.

Then on the last day of the year with the Padres still holding an outside shot at the postseason, the Giants clawed him into his grave, beating him 3-0 on October 3rd.

Conclusion

So what gives? How does an average offense manage to cut up aces. Reason, common sense, and statistical analysis would suggest the Giants struggle mightily against aces.

But they don’t. They didn’t.

Because… heart, courage, and pride don’t cater to reason.

The Giants offense is an overweight, poor, uneducated father who God has blessed with the most beautiful daughter in all the land.

He knows he is barely worthy to be her father, which makes him all the more stalwart and prideful in protecting her.

He would cut any man’s throat who even thought to impugn his daughter’s beauty and grace.

He is humble, but always ready to defend her, especially against other maidens across the land.

Cliff Lee is a very pretty princess, but he comes nowhere close to matching the beauty of the Giants pitching staff.

And so the overweight, poor, uneducated father that is the Giants offense will cut him, again and again, until he’s dead.

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The San Francisco Giants will play Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night against the Texas Rangers. It is still taking time for that to sink in.

They have seven games to prove the world wrong. This Giants team has the opportunity to do something no Giants team has done since 1954: win it all.

They can do something Willie McCovey could not do. Will Clark couldn’t. Neither could Juan Marichal.

Gaylord Perry? Nope. We all know how the Bonds era ended.

Fifty-six years for the franchise—an eternity of waiting for the city of San Francisco.

Once again, the Giants will face a team that has never been to the World Series—the 2002 Angels had never been to the Series.

The Rangers reached the World Series by pounding the ball.

The Giants, as we know, do not pound the ball. But what is it about this team that gives them the opportunity to win a World Series where the other great Giants teams have failed?

First, let’s go back and look at the Giants’ history in the World Series.

1962 San Francisco Giants (lost 4-3 to the New York Yankees)

This team had Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal and the list could go on. They had an all-star lineup and an ace for the ages. How did they not beat the Yankees?

Gaylord Perry was also on this team, but he was not yet the Hall-of-Fame caliber pitcher he would become.

They could not figure out the Yankee pitching. In the seven game series, the Giants scored 22 runs for an average of 3.14 runs per game. In fact, they scored two or fewer runs four times.

1989 San Francisco Giants (lost 4-0 to the Oakland Athletics)

Let’s face facts: The A’s were the better team that year. They had pitching, hitting and played great defense. What else could you ask for?

The Giants had a great lineup with Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell and Matt Williams. But once again, the Giants were unable to keep the Athletics off the base paths or to stop them from hitting nine home runs in the four-game series.

The earthquake may have taken its toll on players, but pitching was the difference.

2002 San Francisco Giants (lost 4-3 to the Anaheim Angels)

Can you say “choke?” That is what the Giants did in this World Series.

Giants fans know the story: With a five-run lead going into the seventh inning of Game 6, they had the World Series wrapped up. Parties were being planned. The champagne was already on ice. The massive parade in San Francisco had been scheduled.

Then the bullpen failed. Tim Worrell, Felix Rodriguez and an injured Robb Nen gave up the lead and the momentum going into a tragic Game 7.

The rest is history. That Giants team had the hitting, and in the end, the pitching failed them.

2010 San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers

This brings us back to the series that begins on Wednesday.

What do the Giants do well? Pitch—and now, get timely hits. They are the true definition to the word “team.”

This bunch of misfits, cast-offs or whatever you want to call them have made it their mission to prove to each of those teams who gave up on them that they shouldn’t have. We know the names, and as we continue to hear, they truly do pull for each other.

Take a look at the Giants’ wins in the NLCS. Who was key?

Game 1: Cody Ross’ HR.

Game 3: Matt Cain (you can make a case for Ross again), Aaron Rowand.

Game 4: Juan Uribe, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval.

Game 6: Uribe, Aubrey Huff, Madison Bumgarner, Jeremy Affeldt.

The saying goes, “It takes a village,” and it sure has with the Giants.

What do the Rangers do well? They hit the stuffing out of the ball and rely on solid, not great pitching with the exception of Cliff Lee. They, too, are a “team” and are carrying the hopes of the state of Texas which has never won a World Series.

As was described in the previous World Series trips for the Giants, the difference has been pitching. The Giants had the best ERA in all of baseball this season, and they carried it into the postseason.

They shut down the Atlanta Braves and the Phillies. Now, this pitching staff is four wins away from baseball immortality.

Wouldn’t it be fitting in the “Year of the Pitcher” for the team with the best ERA to win it all? I think so.

The saying goes “good pitching beats good hitting.” For the Giants to win this series, the statement has to ring true more than ever.

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The San Francisco Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 of the 2010 NLCS. The Giants lead the series 3-2 but must now return to Philadelphia for Game 6 and Game 7 if needed. They are only one win away from from earning their fourth National League pennant since the team moved to San Francisco in 1958. It would also be the team’s first pennant since 2002.

If Game 7 is needed, the Giants can place their champagne dreams on hold for next season. The window of opportunity for them to advance to the World Series is growing ever shorter. The Phillies have been the most dominant team in the National League for the past three seasons, advancing to the World Series in the past two seasons.

I believe that the Giants have all of the tools necessary to split the final two games in Philadelphia. I also believe that they are at a severe disadvantage in a Game 7, should it be necessary.

Here are 10 reasons that Game 6 is a do or die game for the Giants.

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Good evening baseball fans! Welcome to Game Four of the NLCS between the visiting Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants.

Bleacher bum Evan Adrian here, taking you every step of the way through this pivotal matchup.

Philadelphia decided not to send Roy Halladay out on short rest, so Joe Blanton will take the mound for Philadelphia the first time this postseason. San Francisco trots out 21-year-old rookie Madison Bumgarner, who pitched six solid innings against the Braves, giving up just two runs in the series-clincher.

Philly is desperate for a win, which would tie this NLCS at two games a piece. Can Blanton come through? Keep it here to find out!

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The San Francisco Giants can smell the pennant.

After an impressive Game 3 win behind Matt Cain and Cody Ross, San Francisco has a 2-1 edge in games in the 2010 NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. Game 4 will be played Wednesday in San Francisco, where the teams will also duel in Game 5 before (potentially) heading back to Philadelphia.

The Giants have to feel good about taking the lead for the second time in this series, after the two-time defending National League champion Phillies rallied to rout the G-men at Citizen’s Bank Park in Game 2 of the set. Manager Bruce Bochy looks like a genius for the myriad adjustments he has made as the series has progressed, and the offense has done just enough to support the stellar pitching staff.

Going into Game 4, the Giants have their foot on the throat of Charlie Manuel’s crew. The series become a very dicey proposition with a Phillies win, but if San Francisco can pull out a victory to go up 3-1, the series is all but over. Ten things will make or break the Giants’ effort to move within shouting distance of their first pennant since 2002. What are they?

Read on.

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After dismissing the Cincinnati Reds in the NLDS, the Phillies will face off against the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. 

Will the Giants be a minor speed bump on the road to another National League pennant, or do they have a legitimate shot at sending the Phillies home early?

Here are some arguments for both cases:

Fear the Giants

In theory, the teams in the NLCS are the two best the league has to offer.  Not only does a team have to survive the regular-season gauntlet to earn a playoff berth, but they must also defeat another playoff worthy team just to advance. 

The Giants won a competitive NL West division, and then dismissed the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.  That alone marks them as a good team.  And the main reason for their success is their pitching staff.

The staff is led by Tim Lincecum, who is one of the best starters in the majors, having won the 2008 and 2009 Cy Young Awards.  By his standards, 2010 was a slightly off year, as he struggled in August leading to some “What’s wrong with Lincecum?  Is he injured?” talk.

He quickly dismissed that speculation with an outstanding stretch run, and a sterling effort in his start in the NLDS.  If he is on his game, he can be near unhittable.

The rest of the staff is impressive as well: Jonathan Sanchez is a tough left-hander, who has given the Phillies trouble in the past.  Matt Cain had an excellent year and features a good fastball.  It isn’t clear if the Giants will use a fourth starter, but if they do, it will be rookie left-hander Madison Bumgarner.  (Now that’s a great name!)  Bumgarner had a strong rookie season and excelled in his NLDS start, so he is far from a weak link.

The Giants bullpen has also performed well this year, led by closer Brian Wilson, who led the NL in saves.

Considering that the Phillies had trouble scoring runs (or at least earned runs) off of the Reds’ good but not great pitchers, what kind of success can they expect to have against the Giants pitchers?  They can’t depend on a complete breakdown by the Giants’ fielders similar to what happened to the Reds.

The long layoff between playoff series isn’t going to help the Phillies’ chances either.  Ryan Howard (one of the few Phillies who has had past success against Lincecum) didn’t have a strong NLDS, and tends to suffer after extended time off.  They’ll need him to start hitting like he did in last year’s NLCS in which he was named MVP.  The extra rest probably won’t help guys like Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez find their stroke either.

There’s a good chance that these games are going to be low-scoring affairs.  Games will likely come down to one or two plays, and in that type of situation, one fluke play can make a huge difference.  The Phillies are the better team on paper, but in close games, that doesn’t mean anything.

Start Planning for the World Series

While the Giants’ spot in the final four may prove that they are a good team, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a great team.  They won a West division in which their two closest competitors (Padres and Rockies) both collapsed badly down the stretch.  In the NLDS, they were matched against a beaten up Braves team that seemed to find ways to lose. 

So while it is nice that they have gotten this far, at some point they’ll have to prove themselves to be more than just opportunistic.

They’ll also have to find a way to hit better than they have.  If the Reds—the highest scoring team in the NL—couldn’t hit against the Phillies’ starters, what chance do the weak-hitting Giants have?

While the Giants were the only team in the majors to have beaten the Phillies starting trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels this season, there’s no indication that they’ll be able to do so again.  Even they don’t seem to like their chances, as I’ve heard quotes from Giants players about “needing to scrape out some runs,” and “wanting to keep things low scoring.”

If we give the Giants the edge in the potential Game 4 matchup of Fat Joe Blanton vs. Bumgarner (By the way, people need to give Blanton more credit.  He didn’t have the the greatest year, but he was solid down the stretch, and has had postseason success in the past), will the Giants be able to score enough runs in three out of six starts by Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels? 

I can’t see the Giants scoring enough runs to win the series.  Who in the Giants lineup seems like a real threat?  Buster Posey had a great rookie season, but is he capable of carrying their entire offense?  Aubrey Huff and Andres Torres are solid hitters, but once again, not exactly the type to make a pitcher worry too much.

Former Phillie Pat Burrell has played well for them, and could provide some power, but as any Phillies fan can tell you, Burrell can be pitched to.

Maybe in a close game the Giants will be able to score some runs against the Phillies relievers.  But the way that the Phillies starters have pitched, their relief pitching doesn’t often even come into play.  And unlike the Braves, the Phillies late-game relief combo of Ryan Madson (MADSON!!!!) and Brad Lidge are healthy, and have been extremely effective in the second half of the season.

The Giants are also far weaker than the Phillies defensively.  Sure, their numbers might look OK because they don’t commit a lot of errors.  But that is partially due to the horrendous fielding range showed by many of their fielders.  Are the Giants capable of making the game saving defensive plays that would be necessary to win a close game?  It seems doubtful.

As for the Phillies hitters, I think they’ll do just enough damage to get the job done.  Unlike most lineups that the Giants face, the Phillies have strength all the way through.  Which means that even if Rollins and Howard are slumping, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are capable of carrying the team.  And while the layoff might hurt the Phillies’ hitting timing, it can only help with Rollins’ sore hamstring.  If he can run at near full speed, that adds yet another element that the Giants will have to deal with.

My Prediction

The Giants seem like a tougher opponent than the Dodgers of 2008 and 2009.  And I don’t think that the Giants will play scared like the Reds seemed to.

But in the end, the result will be the same.  The Giants’ starters are too good for them not to win a couple games, but in the end, the Phillies will capture their third consecutive pennant.

Phillies in six.

Originally published on my blog: Stranger in a Strange Land

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As the 2010 post-season delves further into October, the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies are the last two National League teams standing.

The National League Championship Series between these two clubs will begin on Saturday, October 16th – in Philadelphia.

The Phillies jumped all over Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds, sweeping Dusty Baker and company right out of the playoffs. While it may be tee time in Cincinnati, the Phillies are resting, laying in wait for the Giants.

In San Francisco there lies another brand of baseball. The Giants secured their NLCS ticket in four games, sending Atlanta home for good in 2010. Shipping off Bobby Cox was no easy task, each game being decided by a single run.

On paper and before your eyes, the Phillies have been the team to beat coming into the playoffs. They feature top notch pitching, a fearsome lineup, and oodles of playoff knowledge in the dugout.

One thing is for certain with the Giants, they can pitch. It is the other things like hitting, and oh maybe more hitting that are less certain.

The Giants squeaked by the Braves, getting just enough runs to win by the narrowest of margins. This will not fly against the Phillies. If the Giants want to have a chance against a true juggernaut like Phillie, they will need certain players to step up and deliver big time.

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