So the Phils lost game one with their ace on the mound. This should not be as surprising as you may think, given that the Giants had an ace of their own in Tim Lincecum on the mound.
But the Phillies simply have to win one at home or they are done.
Recognizing that, the Phils turn to their "other" Roy, Mr. Roy Oswalt, in an effort to salvage one game at home before heading to San Francisco for three games.
The current 2-3-2 scenario hardly favors the team with the best record, in my opinion, as all the "underdog" has to do is steal one game on the road, as the Giants have done, and they are in position to potentially win the series without ever going back on the road.
But look, not only are the Phils too good to even consider this, they have a very solid veteran in Roy Oswalt on the mound on Sunday. They will need him to pitch well or this could easily become a Giants sweep.
As crazy as that sounds, the best team does not always win these series, so all the pressure falls on the shoulders of Oswalt. Fortunately, he goes up against a Giants pitcher in Jonathan Sanchez who, despite no-hit stuff, is playing in his first playoffs.
For the Giants to go up 2-0 heading home is simply a scenario that the Phillies cannot consider. Oswalt is 4-0 in his postseason career, though he was shaky in his last start against the Reds, giving up four runs in five innings.
Now that Roy Halladay appeared human in his start on Saturday, Oswalt needs to pitch better against the Giants on Sunday. The fact that the Giants decided to go with Sanchez over Matt Cain in game two may be a blessing in disguise for Philly.
While Cain has not pitched well in Philadelphia, he is a stud. Sanchez allowed only a run in over seven innings of work in the NLDS, but Cain was equally good in the first round and is largely considered to be the better pitcher overall.
No matter what happens, anyone who considered this to be a cake walk for the Phillies is crazy. The Giants may not have as good of an offense as the Phils, but their top three pitchers match up well against anyone.
Since adding Cody Ross to the offense, this 92 win team is a lot like the Phils in that all they need is some offense and their pitching will take them the rest of the way.
Cody Ross needs to be pitched to very carefully, and if Oswalt does that, the Phils should be able to take game two.
If not, they are in serious trouble. Nobody said this was going to be easy.
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