Game Recap:
Roy Halladay pitched six innings, including four with a pulled groin, and the Phillies scored three runs in the third inning off of Tim Lincecum to take Game Five of the NCLS and force the series back to Philadelphia.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-3 with an RBI.
Shane Victorino may have gone 0-5, but he drove in a run in the third inning and then scored as well.
Jayson Werth was 1-4 with a solo home run in the ninth.
Raul Ibanez started tonight, and went 2-4 with a run scored.
The bullpen was outstanding tonight. Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge worked three scoreless innings, with Madson striking out the side in the eighth inning, and Lidge saving his 12th playoff game for the Phils.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard went 0-4 with three strikeouts. He also committed an error at first base.
Roy Halladay pulled his groin muscle in the second inning, but refused to be pulled from the game. He's likely unable to pitch now until a potential Game One of the World Series.
Game Analysis:
The Phillies found themselves in unfamiliar territory tonight, down to their last game in the NLCS. Not only did they have that facing them, but they also had to deal with Tim Lincecum, who, in case you didn't know, has won the last two National League Cy Young Awards. Well, things didn't go as smoothly as Phillie fans may have hoped, but the end result was still a 4-2 win for the Phillies and a trip back to Philadelphia for Game Six on Saturday.
Their have been a few plays throughout this entire series that have changed the momentum of the games. Tonight was no exception, only this time, the play was in favor of the Phillies. After Raul Ibanez singled and Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count in the third inning, Roy Halladay stepped to the plate to attempt a sacrifice bunt. Halladay's bunt attempt looked to roll foul as it hit home plate, but the umpire called it fair. Halladay didn't run, but Ibanez and Ruiz did, and Pablo Sandoval couldn't get back to third in time. One batter later, Shane Victorino's ground ball to first base was booted badly by Aubrey Huff, and two runs scored, giving the Phillies a lead that they would never give back. Was the ball that Halladay bunted foul? It sure looked like it, but that's not the way that the call went on the field. The Giants have had a few of those calls go their way in this series, so it's nice to see one go the way of the Phils this time out. Regardless, the Phillies actually took advantage of the miscue and scored three times in the third inning off of Tim Lincecum.
Those three runs would be the only ones that the Phils would get until the ninth inning. Fortunately, Jayson Werth nailed a solo home run down the right field line to give the Phillies an insurance run. It wasn't necessary, but it gave Brad Lidge some breathing room going into the bottom of the ninth inning and quieted the San Francisco fans a little bit more. Werth has been scuffling this entire series, but tonight, with just one hit, he may have helped turn things around. Plus, he nailed Cody Ross trying to get to third on a fly ball in the fourth inning. If Werth and Raul Ibanez can keep playing like they did last night, just maybe the rest of the bats can start to warm up, too. They needed to tonight, due to Ryan Howard's awful showing at the plate. Howard still doesn't have a run batted in during the playoffs, if you can believe that.
Hopefully, Roy Halladay's groin issue will be minor, because even with it bothering him tonight, he looked ok out on the mound. You could tell early that something was bothering him, but with a game like this on the line, he wasn't going to come out of the game. Halladay couldn't get a great feel for the strike zone and had to rely more on his off speed pitches than his fastball, but he got the job done, striking out five and walking two in six innings of work. This might be the last time we see Halladay on the mound this year. Hopefully it isn't, but if it is, it's been a hell of a season for Roy, and pitching four innings of solid baseball with a pulled groin is the icing on the cake.
There's not much that can be said about the bullpen tonight. Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge were great in their three innings of work. Contreras was the only one that allowed a runner to reach base, but nothing came of it. Then, Ryan Madson struck out the side in the eighth inning, allowing Brad Lidge to do his thing and save the game in the ninth. Madson and Lidge tonight looked more like the 2008 versions of themselves than at any point since that season two years ago. Madson was on point with almost every pitch, and Lidge had the Giants guessing at his pitches. That's what the Phillies are going to need out of their bullpen if they want to complete any type of comeback. They can't have what happened in Game Four happen again in this series. If they do, the Giants will be celebrating in Philadelphia.
Everyone just has to remember that it's one game at a time right now. The Phillies needed to win Game Five to force Game Six, and they did that. Now, they have to win Game Six to force a Game Seven. Can they do it? Of course they can. If they can get a break or two, like they did tonight, and actually get some timely hitting from the offense, then the pitching will do enough to carry them through. It won't be Roy Halladay, but Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels aren't bad second and third options, either. Game Six is Saturday in Philadelphia. The Flyers already managed to pull a miracle this year, let's see if the magic can carry over to the Phillies.
Roy Oswalt (1-1, 3.29 ERA) should be going for the Phillies. Jonathan Sanchez (0-1, 2.03 ERA) is going for the Giants. The Phils aren't dead yet, and hopefully Oswalt can keep it that way.
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