MLB NLCS Playoff Previews
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San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Series Odds: Philadelphia -250, San Francisco +210,
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Series Schedule: October 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24
Projected Starters:
Giants: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner
Phillies: Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels
Series Overview: No real surprise that these teams advanced. Playoff baseball is all about pitching and the Giants and Phillies were thought superior in that area to their opponents entering their respective series and it played out that way. The Phillies were especially dominant setting a record for fewest hits allowed in a three game series while the Giants proved that they were no slouches either. Both offenses were limited in the opening round. This is no shock for the Giants who have struggled to score all season but we are still waiting for the Phillies to bust out. If it happens this series it will be tough for the Giants to compete.
San Francisco: The Giants victory over the Atlanta played out exactly as expected. They got the fantastic starting pitching they have come to expect all year (all four starters pitched at least 6 innings giving up 2 runs or less) and scratched out just enough runs to back it up. All three victories were by a single run. Against Atlanta their best hitter was Buster Posey, which should not come as much of a surprise from what we saw during the season, but is still impressive for a rookie catcher especially one who is managing such a dominant staff. Amazingly the Giants hit more homers against Atlanta then the Phillies did against the Reds. If they can out slug Philadelphia again then this series might last longer than expected.
Philadelphia: Everyone knew the Phillies had a great starting rotation with essentially three aces. Well two out of three ain’t bad. Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels were superb in complete game victories while Oswalt did what good pitchers do, he kept his team in the game so that the offense could win it (with a little help from some bad Reds defense). The season series between these teams was split down the middle 3-3, both teams went 2-1 in their respective ballparks. The Phillies breezed through the Reds without getting much production from the core of their lineup. Cleanup hitter Ryan Howard has been very successful against Tim Lincecum over his career batting over .300 with half of his hits leaving the yard. For Phillies backers it would be nice to see their slugger back in the groove, this is a key matchup to watch in Game 1.
Series Prediction: The Giants are a good team but they just refuse to score some times. They might have an overall advantage on the mound but the Philles are more experienced and likely to capitalize on their mistakes. Philadelphia wins in 5.
Best Investment: With Halladay/Lincecum on the mound, the O/U for Game 1 is 6. I don’t think we can expect either pitcher to match their most recent efforts, combine that with a few runs against the bullpens and you have a nice over play.
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With Hamels and Cain on the mound tonight expect another pitching duel. Hamels is 4-2 life time vs the Giants while Cain is 8-4 on the season pitching at home. Hamels pitched a complete game shut out his last outing in Cincinnati and has been commanding his pitches very well. If the Phillies are able to at least win one game in San Francisco they will assure themselves at least a Game 6 back in Philly. Essentially the pressure lies on Matt Cain and the Giants to go up 2-1 in the series at home.