Game Recap:
Cody Ross hit two home runs off of Roy Halladay, and San Francisco scored two runs with two outs in the six inning to take the first game of the NLCS.
What went right?
Chase Utley went 1-3 and scored a run.
Jayson Werth was 2-3 with a two run home run.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-3 with a solo home run.
The bullpen was solid, as both Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge worked scoreless frames.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5, and struck out twice.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 with three strikeouts.
Jimmy Rollins was 0-4 with three strikeouts.
Raul Ibanez was 0-3 and misplayed a ball in the outfield that led to the two runs scoring in the sixth inning.
The Phillies left seven men on base.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, a single call can make all the difference. Despite what most Philadelphia fans want to believe, the 1-2 pitch to Pat Burrell with two outs in the top of the sixth inning last night was not the straw that broke the camel's back. Was it a strike? It could have been called one, but both Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum hadn't been getting the low strike calls all night long. You can't argue with the impact that it had, however. Burrell took the next pitch into left, and Raul Ibanez misplayed it, allowing a run to score and giving the Giants a 3-1 lead. Juan Uribe drove home Nate Schierholtz, and just like that, San Francisco had all the runs they would need off of Roy Halladay, and the Phillies dropped their first Game One since the 2007 NLDS.
The call on Burrell was a big one, yes, but there were other moments in the game where the Phillies had chances to put the Giants, and Tim Lincecum, on the ropes. In the second inning, Ryan Howard led off with a double. When you get a runner on second base, with no one out, against one of the best pitchers in baseball, you have to take advantage. Instead, the Phillies had Jayson Werth strike out, Jimmy Rollins pop up and Raul Ibanez fly out. Howard stood at second the entire time. In the very next inning, Carlos Ruiz started things off with a home run, and Roy Halladay singled. Shane Victorino then hit into a very costly double play, because Placido Polanco ripped a double into left field that would have scored either Halladay or Victorino. Chase Utley walked, and Polacno and Utley advanced on a wild pitch, putting runners on second and third with Ryan Howard at the plate. This time, Howard struck out, leaving two more men in scoring position. The next time the Phils had a chance, they were down 4-1, and Jayson Werth's two run home run pulled them to within a single run. That's as close as they would get.
The offense has to have big at bats in this series. In the second and third innings, they had a chance to jump all over Tim Lincecum. Lincecum didn't have his best stuff last night, but the Phillies let him off the hook by swinging at bad pitches or letting hittable pitches go by. That's not what got this team this far this year, and it's not going to work against the Giants. San Francisco is too good of a team, with too solid of a pitching staff, to let that fly. When you get chances against a pitcher like that, you have to make him pay.
Speaking of not having their best stuff, Roy Halladay looked a bit more, shall we say, mortal last night. He retired the first seven Giants in order, but was leaving pitches a little bit up in the zone, and Cody Ross caught him twice for two solo home runs. It wasn't Halladay's best performance, but it wasn't his worst. He still looked sharp on the mound and didn't walk a batter. The only problem was that he threw three bad pitches in the entire game. Two of them were to Ross, and they both ended up in the left field seats. The other one was to Pat Burrell, and that ended up in Raul Ibanez's lap. Ibanez has to make that play in the sixth inning. Not only would it have saved to runs, but if Werth still hits that home run in the bottom of the inning, then the Phillies would have won the game. That right there, along with the Phillies leaving men on base in the second and third innings, made the difference last night, not the call to Burrell.
There are moments in every game where calls can make a difference, but, if you think a game is won and lost on a single missed call, then your team might not have been good enough to win. Halladay could have made a better pitch to Burrell. He could have pitched a bit more around Ross the second time he faced him. Raul Ibanez had a chance to catch Burrell's double. All of those instances were more important than the one call. Of course, none of this will matter if the Phillies manage to win the NLCS anyway. There's still potentially six more games to play, and Halladay will get a chance to redeem himself. Tonight's game isn't a must win, but it's certainly important.
Roy Oswalt (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies in Game Two. Jonathan Sanchez (0-0, 1.23 ERA) is going for San Francisco.
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