Oswalt Silences Giants – Phillies Draw Even

Let’s be realistic here for a moment. Had you told me prior to the series that the Giants would come back to San Francisco with the series tied 1-1, I’d have taken that with a smile on my face and an erect baseball penis in my hand.

Sure, we all wanted to step on the throat of the Phillies and head back to the Cove with a 2-0 series lead, and as great as that would have been, the chance of it happening was slim to none. Having to run through a very good team, let alone their #1 and #2 starters on the road? Come on. Do you want a golden unicorn at the end of a double rainbow too!?

My goal was a split and we got it. Nothing to hang your head at.

The Giants are still in a promising position. They’ve taken away home field. They now have three straight games at AT&T Park. And unless Philly sweeps all three in San Francisco (HAR!) it’s guaranteed to go back to Philadelphia for at least a Game 6 at worst. Tim Lincecum is still going to pitch at least one game, maybe two in the series. Matt Cain still has a very possible chance to go two times in the series. There is little reason to be down and out. Game 1 winners in the NLCS have won 15 of the last 18 series. Now don’t get me wrong –  the Phillies are one hell of a ball club, I’m not knocking them in the least bit (I thought they’d take it in 6 prior to the series start) – but so are the Giants. Any time they’ve been down and out, they’ve continued to bounce back. This series is going to be a fight to the finish…so pull up your fucking huggies and enjoy the ride. I’ve got a few extra pairs for when Brian Wilson takes the mound…they even come with a fake beard and a case of Just For Men. It’s the party pack, bitches.

As for tonight, it was a pretty tight game despite the final score. Jonathan Sanchez struggled in the first inning with command, walking in a run, but settled down for the rest of the night…well, for the most part. He still is Jonathan Sanchez, after all. Cody Ross continued his historic mini run, clubbing another middle-in fastball deep into the left-center seats, his third of the series. You’d think the Phillies might stop throwing him that pitch.

His dinger tied up the game at 1-1, but the Phillies added the go-ahead run the next half inning then blew it open in the bottom of the 7th with a bases loaded double by Jimmy Rollins.

Both teams are hopping a charter tonight in hopes of getting some rest prior to Tuesday’s afternoon tilt. It’ll be interesting to see what type of effects the mid-day air plays on both Cain and Hamels as both pitchers have higher ERA’s during day games, especially Hamels who’s ERA jumps about half a run in day games. We’ll see if the cloudy/damp weather report changes prior to the game.

Lastly – I’ve got a strong feeling Andres Torres will be taking a seat for Game 3 with Aaron Rowand getting the start. No inside info, but, just a vibe. Torres is 3-25 so far in the postseason and has looked just horrific at the plate, striking out nearly 50% of his plate appearances. Rowand hasn’t done anything much against Hamels in his career, only going 3 for 15…but Torres has looked lost and is really costing the Giants offense. Bochy’s in a tough spot…neither solution seems ideal, but, somebody needs to step up.