Game Recap:
Juan Uribe hit a two out, solo home run in the top of the eighth inning, and Brian Wilson recorded a five out save to eliminate the Phillies from the playoffs and send the Giants to the World Series.
What went right?
Roy Oswalt pitched well, allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits in six innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out five.
Yeah, that's it.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard had two hits, but struck out three times, including the last out of the series with the bat on his shoulder.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-3.
Jayson Werth went 0-2. He drove in a run, but also struck out in the eighth inning.
The Phillies left 11 men on base.
Oh, and the season is over. Did I mention that yet?
Game Analysis:
When people look back at the 2010 NLCS, they should notice one thing, after the great pitching efforts on both sides, and that's the missed chances by the Phillies in each and every game that they lost. That was the theme during this series, and it's one that is going to stick with the Phils throughout the offseason until next year's Spring Training starts. Last night was no different, as the Phillies wasted chance after chance, and the San Francisco Giants took advantage of a few mistakes to eliminate the Phils and head to the World Series.
Last night started out so well, too. Roy Oswalt struck out two of the first three batters he faced, and the Phillies scored two quick runs on a double by Chase Utley and a sacrifice fly by Jayson Werth. Jonathan Sanchez only lasted two innings before the Phillies chased him from the game, and though Oswalt had given up hits in the first two innings, he was able to get out of trouble. Then came the third inning. Sanchez started things off with a single, and then Andres Torres hit a ball towards Shane Victorino that he should have caught. Instead, it got away from Shane, and the Giants ended up with two men on and no one out. A sacrifice by Freddy Sanchez moved the runners, and a single by Aubrey Huff scored Sanchez, while Torres was thrown out at the plate. Then, Buster Posey hit a ball to third that should have ended the inning. Instead, Placido Polanco's throw to first was low, and Ryan Howard couldn't scoop the ball. Another run scored and the game was tied. Unlike the Phillies, the Giants took advantage of mistakes, and the third inning was no exception.
For the rest of the game, the story was more about what the Phillies couldn't do than what the Giants could, because neither team was able to do much. The Phillies left two runners on base in the third inning, had the bases loaded in the fifth, put a runner on third with one out in the sixth, and had two on in the eighth and ninth innings. None of those men came around to score. That's the story of the game, and the series, right there. Ryan Howard, who just last year told his teammates to get him to the plate so he could deliver a go ahead hit, struck out looking this year with two on in the bottom of the ninth inning on a 3-2 pitch. Howard didn't have a single RBI during the playoffs, though he did hit pretty well. The rest of the team in front of him couldn't get on base, and when they did, it seemed like his bat would go cold. That was huge in this series.
I have nothing bad to say about the pitching for the Phillies. When you have Roy Halladay throw almost five innings on a pulled groin, and Roy Oswalt pitch just two days after coming out of the bullpen and go six innings, along with a bullpen that was almost lights out in every game, there's no faults here. Yes, Ryan Madson gave up the series winning home run, but it wasn't like it was a tape measure shot. It was a ball that just found the first row in the right field stands. The Phillies have hit plenty of home runs like that one at home, so to have it come back and bite them shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Oswalt didn't have his best stuff last night, and he got hit early and often, but he did enough to get through six innings and allow just two runs. That's still a good showing for him.
Before the series started, I said that the Phillies would have to take advantage of every mistake that the Giants made. The Phils did that in the NLDS when they took care of the Reds, but they couldn't do it against San Francisco, and that's why the Giants are the team heading to the World Series. Poor defense, a lack of clutch hitting and just overall sloppy baseball doomed the Phillies from Game One of this NLCS. For the first time since the 2007 season, the Phillies have to watch someone else represent the National League in the World Series. This year is over, but there's going to be a lot of questions still to come.
No more games this year, no more pitching matchups, previews or anything like that. For the next 125 days, baseball is over in Philadelphia. That sucks.
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