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Words can’t describe this moment, a team with no real star beating the two-time NL champion. Throughout the playoffs the Giants have been the dark horse to reach the World Series, and now they are here.

Do they have a shot against the Rangers’ high octane offense? Yes. You can never write the Giants off. With that, here is why the Giants have a real shot at winning the 2010 World Series.

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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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A terrific NLCS between the Phillies and Giants will continue Saturday in Philadelphia. Notes from Game 5 are below:

• Buster Posey was a vacuum behind the plate. He wouldn’t allow a pitch to get away from him no matter the location, giving Tim Lincecum the confidence to consistently bury his changeup low. 
• The Phillies clearly had a different approach against Posey, consistently attacking him on the inner half of the plate. The strategy worked as the young star catcher went hitless a night after dominating the Phils’ pitching staff with four hits.
• Ryan Howard has given the Phillies nothing so far this series.
• If Charlie Manuel doesn’t want to hit Placido Polanco between Chase Utley and Ryan Howard consistently, why not use Jayson Werth to break up the left-handed combination? Is there a downside to this?
• Howard made a nice play on a sharp liner by Aubrey Huff in the first inning with two on and no outs. After that however, The Big Piece (probably my least favorite nickname for an athlete ever) misplayed two ground balls. One was ruled an error while the other, incorrectly, was not.
• Freddy Sanchez scares me. The guy is a perfect No. 2 hitter and the hit and run Bochy called for in the first inning was executed perfectly.
• Chase Utley continues to look shaky in the field as well as at the plate. Every time he slips into a slump, local media is quick to play the ‘injury card’ but hey, maybe the guy isn’t otherworldly anymore and falls into rough patches like the rest of the Major League population.
• While Jimmy Rollins has continued his poor approach at the plate, his defense has been sparkling. 
• Despite the Phillies mini-rally in the top of the *third inning, they continue to lack the ability to sustain innings without help from poor pitching or poor defense. The team isn’t maximizing its chances and while home runs are often referred to as “rally killers” what better way to maximize a big inning than a two- or three-run blast? Jayson Werth stroked an opposite-field home run to right field in the top of the ninth for an insurance run, but aside from his Game 1 two-run bomb against Lincecum, the Phillies’ vaunted power has been shut down by the Giants.
• Cody Ross isn’t as good as he’s playing right now. Hitting is such a mental aspect of baseball and Ross simply believes he’s better than he is, if that makes sense. And I’m not taking a shot at the guy; his confidence is off the charts as he continues to lock in on each and every at-bat. Ross is locked in and reacting to, not guessing at pitches.
• As good as Ross has been, it was beautiful to watch Werth hose him in the bottom of the fourth. Ross committed the cardinal sin of baseball: making the third out at third base and it took a perfect strike by Starfox to get the job done.
• I find it strange that there are benches on the playing field in San Francisco. I can only assume this is an old-school style tradition? Either way, it’s a bit odd to me.
• The Giants really made Halladay work forcing him to go deep in counts batter after batter. Even when Doc got ahead of the Giants, he often lacked the ability to put them away immediately, most likely due to his injured groin.
• My wife found it funny that several Giants players were “itching their armpits with their bats” during the bottom of the sixth. I kindly explained that this tactic was used to keep their bats dry in the rain.
• Posey led off with a walk in the bottom of the sixth after two close pitches called for balls on 2-2 and 3-2 counts. As a Phillies fan I wanted those pitches, but I was impressed by Home Plate umpire Jeff Nelson. A lesser man would have been easily intimidated by Roy Halladay, but Nelson stuck to his guns.
• It was a great sign to see Rollins steal both second and third base in the top of the seventh inning. A great at-bat by Chooch put runners on first and third and I thought Bruce Bochy made a huge mistake leaving Lincecum in to pitch to pinch-hitter Ross Gload. Gload smashed the first pitch he saw, which was caught by Huff and turned into a double play.
• I’ve never been to San Francisco, but I can’t imagine a better representation of the difference between the two cities than the lady who came out to sing ‘God Bless America’ during the seventh inning stretch.
• I’d like a few less closeups from Fox of those hideous black playoff beards sported by Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson. I think I dislike Romo’s more, but it’s a tough call. 
• I did enjoy the shots of the San Fran crowd. They were into the game from the first pitch and showed an excited, expectant attitude throughout. They believe in their bunch, and now it’s time for Philadelphians to help fuel their team.
• The Phillies bullpen came up huge. JC Romero hadn’t pitched since Game 2 of the NLDS but got an important out, and Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge dominated. Lidge relied heavily on throwing his slider as a strike, not to get hitters to chase, which is often his plan. The Big Truck, Jose Contreras, came up big yet again as well.
• Madson mowed down the most dangerous section of the Giants lineup, striking out the trio of Posey, Burrell and Ross in the eighth.
• Jayson Werth, like Ryan Howard, is at his best when he’s going the opposite way. Maybe Howard took notes on Werth’s opposite-field insurance bomb and will keep his front shoulder from flying out in Game 6, a key, particularly against the left-handed Jonathan Sanchez.
• I thought Bochy made another bad call when he brought in the left-handed Jeremy Affeldt to pitch to Shane Victorino. Vic looked bad at the plate and hit nearly 90 points higher from the right side on the year. Like the Lincecum vs. Gload move, this one didn’t backfire, but why turn a struggling lefty around?
• White towels > Orange Pom-poms

*The top of the third inning turned the tide. The Phillies looked helpless and harmless against Lincecum through the first two frames. Raul Ibanez’s punched a leadoff single into no-man’s land and after the Giants ace hit Carlos Ruiz in the arm, the inning got strange.

Roy Halladay is a very poor bunter. I’d be surprised if there were five other starting pitchers in the National League who failed more consistently at laying down a solid bunt than Doc. (Maybe the MLB should organize an off-season “Bunt Off” competition between pitchers similar to the Home-Run Derby? I’d watch!)

But anyway, Halladay had a chance to advance two runners into scoring position with just one out. And somehow, someway, he got the job done. It was a crazy play and Pablo Sandoval certainly handed the Phillies a break when he failed to be in position to get the force at third.

After Halladay’s fair/foul bunt The Struggling Shane Victorino stepped to the plate. Victorino hit the ball hard, but right at Aubrey Huff. It wasn’t a difficult play for the first baseman, but he managed to make it look so as he booted the ball into shallow right field. Two runs scored and Victorino, in contrast to Game 4, alertly moved into scoring position.

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The 2010 NLCS has but a short time left before evolving into The World Series, here are ten ways Tim Lincecum and company can expedite the process.

Game Five of the script-busting NLCS begins this afternoon, promptly at 4:57pm.

The skies above AT&T Park will be mostly cloudy and cool, moving into chilly and cold as expected on a Thursday night in San Francisco, October baseball.

The Giants faithful will not blink or suffer a shiver to deter them from witnessing what is about to happen.

The Embarcadero will be a jostling sea of eager and anxious fans clad in orange and black, ebbing towards the grandest stage of all the San Francisco venues, #24 Willie Mays Plaza.

McCovey Cove will be alive as well, welcoming ferry after ferry of arriving Giants fans. The evening breeze begins to fan the hordes, the ripples in the cove bending as the flotilla kayaks and rafts take up position just beyond right field.

The board is set. The pieces are in motion. The game is waiting to be played.

Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants are but a tick away from making a World Series Appearance, and here are ten ways they can make that happen.

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Last night’s NLCS game followed a script very familiar to Phillies fans.

The team scratched out a first-inning run, helped along by the miscues of their opponent.  They got key contributions throughout the lineup.  The unexpected hitting star continued to shine.  They were patient and did some damage against an opposing reliever.  The relief ace was lights out.  And they won the game thanks to some late-game heroics.

Since 2008, the Phillies have seemed to follow that script several times en route to six series wins, two pennants and one World Series championship.  Except last night, it was the Giants who managed to follow the winning formula, and the Phillies who came up short.

It was the Giants who took advantage of two wild pitches to score a first-inning run.  It was the Giants who got big hits throughout their lineup.  It wasn’t Carlos Ruiz who continued to emerge as a postseason star—but rather Cody Ross.  Instead of the Phillies beating up on Jonathan Broxton, it was the Giants taking the lead against Chad Durbin.  It wasn’t Brad Lidge shutting down his opponents, but rather Brian Wilson who left the Phillies’ hitters looking helpless. 

And finally, it was the Giants who scored the winning run in the ninth inning.

And now it is the Giants who look poised to capture the National League pennant, which most people had pretty much handed to the Phillies before the postseason began.

The Giants look very similar to the 2008 Phillies right now.  Their lineup might not be nearly as dangerous—but as we’ve seen in the postseason, that doesn’t necessarily matter.  What does matter is that they’re receiving strong pitching performances, making all the necessary plays and coming up with key hits.

On the other hand, the Phillies look lost.  This series is starting to look an awful lot like the August series against the Astros where everything just seemed to go against the Phillies.  Their hitters are struggling.  The pitchers perform decently, but not quite well enough. The manager’s moves don’t work.  Umpire calls go against them.  (I’m certainly not blaming the umps for the loss, but that was one of the worst performances by a home plate umpire in awhile.  The strike zone had absolutely no consistency.)

Even when they appear to get a break, it doesn’t end up helping them.  Pablo Sandoval hit a ball that was ruled foul, but replays showed that it was probably fair.  (To be honest, that was about as close as a ball can come, and I don’t know if they could have overturned it even with replay).  Sandoval just came back and hit a double.

Or when a pitch seemed to hit Juan Uribe on the hand, but it was ruled a foul.  That didn’t stop Uribe from hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly.

So now the Phillies are trailing the series 3-1, and have to win three games against the Giants’ starting trio of Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain.  Considering the way they’ve struggled at the plate, it doesn’t seem like a promising scenario.

There was a lot of debate over Charlie Manuel’s decision to start Joe Blanton last night instead of Roy Halladay on short rest.  I agreed with the move, even though it didn’t work out.

First, Blanton is a much better pitcher than people think.  He’s not as good as the “Big Three,” but he’s proven to be a solid major-league starter.  He’s won postseason games for this team before, and pitched well in the second half.  A start by Blanton was far from an automatic loss.

More importantly, if they had gone with Halladay on short rest, then they would have also had to go with Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and then possibly Halladay again on short rest.  It seems like a bad idea to have the final four games of a series started by pitchers on short rest.

For those who suggested that they could just use Blanton for Game 5 or 6 instead, I don’t understand the logic behind that move.  If you don’t trust him in Game 4 matched against rookie Madison Bumgarner, then why would you trust him in a potentially more important game against Lincecum, Cain or Sanchez?

If there was a move by Manuel that should be questioned, it would be the use of Oswalt in relief.  While it isn’t unusual for a starter to be used in the bullpen between starts, the manager typically prepares the starter ahead of time, and tells him not to take his usual throwing session that day.  Supposedly, Oswalt had already thrown earlier in the day. 

I could understand using him if the game had gone into extra innings, and they were left with no other options.  But Manuel still had three relievers available.  Obviously, using the inconsistent Kyle Kendrick isn’t the preferred option (and they’d want to save him in case the game went long anyway), and I can understand saving Brad Lidge until they got a lead, otherwise he’d have to pitch multiple innings or be replaced. 

But why didn’t Manuel use JC Romero in the ninth?  I’d think that using an experienced relief pitcher would be a much better option than using one of his starters who had already thrown earlier in the day.  Was Romero unavailable for some reason?

Regardless, the game is over, and the Phillies are now faced with the task of winning three games in a row.  It is a difficult situation, but far from impossible.  The upside of going with Blanton last night is that they now have Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels lined up to start on full rest. 

The Giants’ starters may be imposing, but expecting the Phillies to win three straight games (two at home) started by their aces is far from unrealistic.

Hopefully starting tonight, the Phillies can remember how to get back to their winning ways.  Otherwise, they’re going to be faced with a script that has become very unfamiliar to them: Someone else celebrating a National League pennant.

Originally published on my blog: Stranger in a Strange Land

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The 2010 MLB Postseason has been bittersweet for the Cincinnati Reds and their fans.

Making the playoffs for the first time since 1995 is a huge deal. In fact just getting over .500 was a cause for celebration this season.

The Reds were able to fight off the big bad St. Louis Cardinals and finally made it to October baseball.

But then the Reds were no-hit by the Philies Roy Halladay. Running into a buzzsaw like that was part bad luck, but also part first game jitters of an inexperienced team.

Game 2 was a chance to brush it off and try and even up the series. A 4-0 lead quickly evaporated as the Reds’ defense completely unraveled. Another shutout in Game 3 and the series was over before you could blink.

Now the Reds sit back and watch the NLCS and ALCS as familiar faces are doing major damage.

Cody Ross has been the best player in the NLCS, collecting an RBI in four straight postseason games, tying a Giants record. He has 10 hits, four homers and seven RBI in the playoffs.

He has single-handedly kept a stagnant Giants offense alive and well.

Once upon a time Ross was a Red. In April of 2006 General Manager Wayne Krivsky acquired Ross from the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player-to-be-named. He was placed on the disabled list after getting hit by a pitch in late April.

He was reinstated from the DL in early May. Three days later, he was traded to Florida for cold hard cash.

So maybe he wasn’t a Red for very long, but the Reds sure could have used his clutch hitting against the Phillies.

What hurts even more is watching Josh Hamilton dismantle the Yankees.

So far Hamilton has four home runs and seven RBI through five games in the ALCS. For the entire playoffs he has hit .316.

Hamilton played 90 games for the Reds in 2007. He hit .292 with 19 homers and 47 RBI. It was his first season in the bigs and fans across Red Leg Nation were ecstatic for the future with Hamilton.

After the season the pitching starved Reds decided to use the unlimited potential of Hamilton to entice the Rangers to trade Edinson Volquez for him.

With his history of drug problems, the Reds figured Hamilton would be much more injury prone than the average player. He did miss almost half the season while playing in Cincinnati.

Fast forward to today and it looks as if the Rangers have gotten the better end of that trade.

Hamilton missed a month this season with a rib injury but will still more than likely be the American League MVP.

He has continued his success against the seemingly unbeatable Yanks. He was named 2010’s best center fielder in the AL by The Sporting News on Wednesday.

Volquez was the Game 1 starter for the Reds and couldn’t even get out of the second inning.

Sure he was an ’08 All-Star, but after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing almost five months of game action between ’09 and ’10, it looks like Volquez has been more injury prone than Hamilton.

And now that the Reds are overloaded with starting pitching while trying to solidfy their outfield. Yes hindsight is certainly 20-20.

Not to take away anything from a great 2010 campaign, but the Reds are left wondering what-if.

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With the 2010 regular season behind us, and all the normal MLB trade rumors completed, why not take the opportunity to discuss who will be headlining the Trade Rumor department in 2011?

The free agency market next year is rather large, and there are a number of players that could be mentioned here, so I will simply take a look at who I believe will be some big names taking center stage.

I’ll try to look at each position, and throw in a wildcard player that could be the next diamond in the rough.

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Add another momentum-shifting RBI to Cody Ross’ stellar postseason résumé.

A fourth inning single by the Giants right fielder opened up the scoring in Game 3 of the NLCS, giving Matt Cain (7 IP, 0 R) the only run support he would need in the Giants’ 3-0 home victory.

San Francisco has found lightning in a bottle with Ross, who was only claimed off waivers by the Giants to block the Padres from acquiring him.

After only seeing time in September because of an injury to center fielder Andres Torres, Ross made the most of his opportunity at the plate, registering three homers and five RBI during the last two weeks of the regular season.

Once Torres returned, Ross still split right field duties with fellow midseason pickup Jose Guillen, who now walks around in street clothes since he was left off the Giants’ playoff roster.

Finally a full-time starter, despite getting lifted for defensive specialist Nate Schierholtz in later innings, Ross has found his groove at the plate over the season’s last month.

In his last four playoff games, the Giants right fielder is batting an even .500 (6-for-12) with four home runs and six RBI despite facing the likes of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels (not to mention veteran Derek Lowe in Game 4 of the NLDS).

In Game 1, squaring off against a previously unhittable Halladay (batters were 0-for-34 in the postseason against Halladay up to that point), the Giants’ eight-hitter powered home runs to left field in consecutive at-bats against the Phillies’ ace, and his two RBI would end up being the difference in a tightly contested 4-3 San Fran win.

The seven-year veteran has driven in the opening run in each of the Giants’ last three games (including two home runs) and has slowly moved his way up in the San Francisco batting order, topping out at the five-hole in Tuesday’s lineup.

The Giants are hoping that Ross’ recent surge will spark an otherwise impotent San Francisco offense that has been searching for consistency at the plate all season long.

Aside from Ross’ production, the rest of the San Francisco lineup has combined to hit .189 (18-for-95) with just four runs batted in the first three games of the NLCS and has given no indication that it will heat up anytime soon.

Ahead in the series 2-1, the Giants have an opportunity to put the Phillies in a serious bind with a win in Game 5, and they have a chance to score runs against a very beatable Joe Blanton.

San Francisco may need to rely on Cody Ross to play hero once again for them if they have any hope of reaching their first World Series in eight years.

Jesse Paguaga is a regular contributor to Baseball Digest. He writes as an intern on the Bleacher Report website. Jesse writes for Gotham Baseball, along with Gotham Hoops and Gotham Gridiron. He can be reached at Paguaga@usc.edu and can be found on Facebook and on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/@jpags77

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The preseason favorites. The favorites after 162 games. The favorites after Game 6 in 2009.

These titles refer to the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yet they stand on the wrong side of the win-loss hyphen.

Both are losing to unproven teams with little postseason experience who were considered World Series long-shots before the season—the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.

Here’s some advice to both teams on how they can turn things around.

Yankees

The Yankees need the most help, looking up at a 3-1 deficit. On top of that, they have to face Cliff Lee again and play two games in Arlington, Texas. Ouch. The Yankees’ to-do list is long. Or it’s a singular item, depending on your approach.

The Yankees still have to face this guy—in Texas—if they want a chance to repeat as world champions.

The List:

• Turn the pressure around. Even though the pressure is on the Yankees right now to win three straight, they can’t allow themselves to be enveloped by that pressure. Take some, use it for fuel, and turn the rest onto the Rangers. Prove to them you aren’t out of it. If nothing else, make them fear you just because you’re the Yankees.
• Make the Rangers work for their last win. That means taking pitches and getting to the bullpen. It means driving the ball hard, even if it’s for an out. It means not giving them easy outs. They still need 27 outs.
• Jump on the starters early. You’ve now seen CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis in the series. You know what they’ve got. Know what pitch you can hit, and jump on it.
• Play perfect defense. A good team makes you pay for giving them 4 (or more) outs in an inning. A team like the Rangers uses it to put you away.

Then there’s the short list:

• Play Yankees baseball.

Phillies

The Phillies are in a better position. Down 2-1, they still have the best pitching trio in baseball set to pitch in three of four games. Not coincidentally, three wins will get them to the World Series. The problem is, the Giants have a pretty good trio of their own.

The List:

• Stop helping the Giants. You can’t give a team extra outs and expect to survive. The Phillies almost suffered that fate against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the NLDS, but luckily the Reds defense turned around and gave those outs right back…and then some.
• Get a strong outing from Joe Blanton in Game 4. Winning Game 4 would be huge, and the key is staying in the game early on. With the Philly offense sputtering (okay, more like breaking down a few miles from home), the pitching needs to be extra sharp.
• Take Cody Ross out of the game. This is not a call for head-hunting, but you have to do something to keep this guy from hurting you. Pitch around him.  Don’t let anyone on base in front of him. But most importantly, don’t throw the ball down and in.

Cody Ross has killed the Phillies through three games. Limiting his opportunities is a key to the Phillies’ comeback attempts.

• Shake up the lineup. Charlie Manuel has to find a way to jump-start this offense. After hitting .212 against the Reds, they are under .200 in the NLCS. Maybe you put Jimmy Rollins back in the lead-off spot. Maybe you sit Raul Ibanez against the lefty in Game 4, going instead with Ben Francisco. Maybe you completely change the lineup—the Phillies have five guys in their lineup who have led-off for this team in the past, and another with the OBP to do so.
• Hit home runs. Ryan Howard is hitting the ball hard, but not out.  He needs to launch one to energize this team. A home run out of the lead-off spot would set the tone for the offense as well.
• Capitalize on opportunities. You know why Cody Ross is killing you? It’s because he’s doing what you’re not—taking a mistake pitch, or his pitch, and jumping on it. Don’t let opportunities—like lead-off base-runners and belt-high fastballs—go to waste.
• Know when to be patient and when to be aggressive. Guys like Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain don’t give you much to hit, so when you get a fastball, swing. You handled Sanchez perfectly. Knowing his tendency to be wild, you were patient early and were rewarded with walks. But as the game wore on, Sanchez tried harder to throw strikes, and you jumped on fastballs thrown early in the count.

That might seem like a lot, and frankly, it is. But it’s nothing that these teams haven’t done for years with roughly the same group of guys. A Phillies-Yankees rematch is still a possibility, and until a team has been beaten four times, don’t count either of them out.  This should be one heck of a finish.

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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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