Game Recap:
Matt Cain pitched seven shutout innings for the Giants, who took Game Three of the NLCS and now lead the series 2-1.
What went right?
Even though he lost, Cole Hamels pitched well, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
Jose Contreras pitched two shutout innings.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-4.
Placido Polanco went 0-4 and struck out once.
Jayson Werth went 0-3 with two strikeouts.
Raul Ibanez was 0-4 and struck out twice.
The Phillies only had three hits, and left seven men on base.
Game Analysis:
Just when you thought the Phillies couldn't top their showing against Tim Lincecum, they come out and play like this yesterday. Matt Cain shut down the Phillies for seven innings, and then the San Francisco bullpen did the rest. The Phillies were shut out in the playoffs for the first time since 1983, and now they're facing a 2-1 hole against the Giants.
The lineup change that seemed to work so well against Jonathan Sanchez in Game Two did nothing against Matt Cain yesterday. Of course, the Phillies still did him favors by leaving men in scoring position once again. The first two innings were uneventful, but in the third, the Phillies got two men on with two outs for Chase Utley, who proceeded to ground out. In the fourth inning, the Phils were in an even better situation, having two runners on and just one out. There was a real chance that they would be able to get a run or two on the board early and calm down the San Francisco crowd while rattling Matt Cain. Instead, Jimmy Rollins popped out and Raul Ibanez struck out, ending the last real threat that the Phillies had in the entire game.
Aside from Ryan Howard, no one on the Phillies is hitting right now, and when you're facing a team like the Giants, that's going to be a problem. Raul Ibanez doesn't have a hit in any of the first three games of this series, and Chase Utley has just one. Two of your best bats in the lineup can't hit the broad side of a barn right now, and while part of that is certainly due to the San Francisco pitching, another part of it has to be more mental than anything else. The Phillies are a team that's made their living off of hitting, and while it hasn't always been the case this year, they've still shown that they can hit when they need to. Well, they need to hit now.
You can't blame Cole Hamels for this loss. Just like most of his losses during the regular season, Hamels got no run support for a solid effort out on the mound. The bottom of the fourth inning was his downfall, which happened right after the Phillies wasted their best scoring chance of the game. Hamels walked Pat Burrell with two outs, and Cody Ross drove in yet another run in this series with a single. Burrell made it to third, and would score when Aubrey Huff's hit bounced off of Chase Utley's glove. The fifth inning was more of the same, as Hamels got two quick outs after an Aaron Rowand double, only to have Freddy Sanchez drive in Rowand with a two out hit. The Giants don't have the best offense in baseball, but when you can get clutch two out hits to drive in runs, you're going to win. The Giants have done that in their two wins. The Phillies have had their chances, but haven't been able to get it done.
Now, the Phils have their backs against the wall. Tonight's game is a must win, because Roy Halladay is pitching in Game Five with a real chance to give the Phillies a series lead if they can win Game Four. If they don't win tonight, then there's a real good chance that this series won't come back to Philadelphia.
Joe Blanton pitches for the first time in the playoffs tonight. He'll be opposed by Madison Bumgarner (1-0, 3.00 ERA).
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