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The Warren Giles Trophy was in the house on Thursday evening at AT&T Park, awaiting to be grabbed by the Giants had they wrapped up the National League Championship Series in five games. But a funny thing happened on the way to the presentation: The Phillies won.
And so the trophy was locked up tight in its crate and transported to Philadelphia after the Phillies forced Game 6 at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday with a 4-2 victory. Win that one and a climactic Game 7 will be played on Sunday.
"There's a little bit of relief right now, but we know they're still in the driver's seat," Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino said. "Again, our backs are still against the wall. Did we steal a little bit of the momentum? Sure, but I'm not saying we've gotten it all back. They're still up 3-2. All we have to do is win one. We've got to gather ourselves and refocus. Worry about Saturday night and try to get another 'W.'"
The pitching matchups for Saturday are right-hander Roy Oswalt for the Phillies against Giants lefty Jonathan Sanchez. And that augers well for the defending two-time NL champs and winners of the 2008 World Series in five games over the Rays.
It's a replay of Game 2, Philadelphia's most dominate game thus far in the series. Oswalt pitched eight innings of three-hit ball and the Phillies won, 6-1. Sanchez pitched into the seventh inning and allowed three runs on five hits.
Since then, though, Oswalt volunteered to pitch in the ninth inning of Game 4 on Thursday with the score 5-5. He faced four batters and lost after allowing a pair of singles and Juan Uribe's walk-off sacrifice fly. Oswalt threw in action that day and also pitched on the side. He is 33 and has 10 seasons under his belt, so there's no way of knowing how that will affect his preparation for what will be his 36th start of the year.
NLCS Gm 6: Saturday on FOX at 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said none of it really matters this time of the year as every able-bodied player is available at a moment's notice.
"With this club, we don't do anything easy," he said after the disappointing loss in Game 5 in which his team made several costly misplays and a key error. "What we've been through, we'll put this behind us. Believe me, we're under no illusions that this was going to be an easy series. We're playing a great club. So we took the series to them here and were close to wrapping it up tonight. But we'll put this game behind us and, fly out Friday and be ready to play the next game."
History favors the Giants. Of the 30 previous teams to take a 3-1 lead since the LCS went to a best-of-seven format in 1985, 24 have gone to the World Series. The last team to come back from that deficit in the NL was the 2003 Marlins against the Cubs. The last team to do it in the AL was the 2007 Red Sox over the Indians. So there is indeed precedence.
But the Giants can review their own history. They led the Cardinals 3-2 in the 1987 NLCS after playing the middle three games at Candlestick Park. Despite winning Game 5, they lost the final two games and the series at old Busch Stadium. So they may only have a figurative upper hand this time around.
Tim Lincecum, who lost to a hobbled Roy Halladay on Thursday, said the team still believes in itself. After all, Lincecum defeated Halladay, 4-3, in Game 1 on the road. Thus, the Giants know they are capable of winning in their opponent's home yard under enormous pressure.
"As far as confidence goes, we have tons of it in here," Lincecum said. "We just want to get that win. All we need is one out of two."
The Phillies, of course, have to win two. This is their ninth playoff series in the past three years. Even last fall when they fell behind 3-1 to the Yankees in the World Series, they won Game 5 at home, sending the series back to Yankee Stadium. There they lost.
"We did what we had to do and we're going home," said reliever Ryan Madson, who pitched a lights-out eighth inning, striking out the side. "Hopefully on Saturday we'll do it again."
The Warren Giles Trophy will be waiting.
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
Probable Pitchers
Phillies. (Roy Oswalt)
Giants. (Jonathan Sanchez)
This is a topic about the Preview of the matchup in Game 6 of the NLCS between The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants currently have a 3-2 lead in the series. My rules are Your predictions! Other then that meet new people on here and have a good time.!
And so the trophy was locked up tight in its crate and transported to Philadelphia after the Phillies forced Game 6 at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday with a 4-2 victory. Win that one and a climactic Game 7 will be played on Sunday.
"There's a little bit of relief right now, but we know they're still in the driver's seat," Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino said. "Again, our backs are still against the wall. Did we steal a little bit of the momentum? Sure, but I'm not saying we've gotten it all back. They're still up 3-2. All we have to do is win one. We've got to gather ourselves and refocus. Worry about Saturday night and try to get another 'W.'"
The pitching matchups for Saturday are right-hander Roy Oswalt for the Phillies against Giants lefty Jonathan Sanchez. And that augers well for the defending two-time NL champs and winners of the 2008 World Series in five games over the Rays.
It's a replay of Game 2, Philadelphia's most dominate game thus far in the series. Oswalt pitched eight innings of three-hit ball and the Phillies won, 6-1. Sanchez pitched into the seventh inning and allowed three runs on five hits.
Since then, though, Oswalt volunteered to pitch in the ninth inning of Game 4 on Thursday with the score 5-5. He faced four batters and lost after allowing a pair of singles and Juan Uribe's walk-off sacrifice fly. Oswalt threw in action that day and also pitched on the side. He is 33 and has 10 seasons under his belt, so there's no way of knowing how that will affect his preparation for what will be his 36th start of the year.
NLCS Gm 6: Saturday on FOX at 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said none of it really matters this time of the year as every able-bodied player is available at a moment's notice.
"With this club, we don't do anything easy," he said after the disappointing loss in Game 5 in which his team made several costly misplays and a key error. "What we've been through, we'll put this behind us. Believe me, we're under no illusions that this was going to be an easy series. We're playing a great club. So we took the series to them here and were close to wrapping it up tonight. But we'll put this game behind us and, fly out Friday and be ready to play the next game."
History favors the Giants. Of the 30 previous teams to take a 3-1 lead since the LCS went to a best-of-seven format in 1985, 24 have gone to the World Series. The last team to come back from that deficit in the NL was the 2003 Marlins against the Cubs. The last team to do it in the AL was the 2007 Red Sox over the Indians. So there is indeed precedence.
But the Giants can review their own history. They led the Cardinals 3-2 in the 1987 NLCS after playing the middle three games at Candlestick Park. Despite winning Game 5, they lost the final two games and the series at old Busch Stadium. So they may only have a figurative upper hand this time around.
Tim Lincecum, who lost to a hobbled Roy Halladay on Thursday, said the team still believes in itself. After all, Lincecum defeated Halladay, 4-3, in Game 1 on the road. Thus, the Giants know they are capable of winning in their opponent's home yard under enormous pressure.
"As far as confidence goes, we have tons of it in here," Lincecum said. "We just want to get that win. All we need is one out of two."
The Phillies, of course, have to win two. This is their ninth playoff series in the past three years. Even last fall when they fell behind 3-1 to the Yankees in the World Series, they won Game 5 at home, sending the series back to Yankee Stadium. There they lost.
"We did what we had to do and we're going home," said reliever Ryan Madson, who pitched a lights-out eighth inning, striking out the side. "Hopefully on Saturday we'll do it again."
The Warren Giles Trophy will be waiting.
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
Probable Pitchers
Phillies. (Roy Oswalt)
Giants. (Jonathan Sanchez)
This is a topic about the Preview of the matchup in Game 6 of the NLCS between The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants currently have a 3-2 lead in the series. My rules are Your predictions! Other then that meet new people on here and have a good time.!
