NLCS Game 5 Preview: Tim Lincecum vs Roy Halladay
Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay will have another chance to dazzle baseball fans as they meet for the second time in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). In Game 1 between the San Francisco Giants
and the Philadelphia Phillies, neither pitcher seemed their usual selves, as the pair allowed a total of seven runs, and four home runs, in a 4-3 Giants victory. Now with the Giants up 3-1 in the series, both pitchers are expected to improve upon their last
performances.
"We've got Halladay going against Lincecum," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "And I'd say if we like to play with our backs against the wall, it's there now. They were asking me today about that,
whether we like to play with our backs to the wall. I think we're going to get a chance."
With the Phillies facing elimination the pressure is mostly on Halladay. He’s already got a no-hitter in these playoffs, Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series against the Cincinnati Reds, and
while he’s not expected to repeat that performance, he will be expected to allow fewer than the four runs he allowed in Game 1.
"You always want to go out and keep pitching," Halladay said. "But we feel like we have a good team. And we feel like when we're playing well together, we can go a long way. So we still have that confidence,
and I think each player has that confidence. It's just a matter of going out and doing it."
The Giants have been to the World Series twice since they last won it in 1954 and lost both times. The pressure is on them too.
"Oh, man. I guess if you're a Giants fan, it will be pretty exciting," said Giants catcher Buster Posey. "It's exciting for any fan. Two of the best arms in the game. We're in a good position. But at the
same time, we know anything can happen in baseball. I don't think we take anything for granted."
Lincecum tends to perform better when playing a team for the second time in a short stretch. There’s no doubt he’s going to be on his game in San Francisco, and everyone on the team with him is looking
to avoid a trip back to Philadelphia.
Halladay is a strong pitcher who logs a lot of innings. He hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue yet, but he’s also never pitched this late into the season.
"We feel very confident," said Phillies closer Brad Lidge. "We're trying not to look at it as three games; we're trying to look at it as win [Thursday] with Roy Halladay on the mound. That seems pretty
manageable. [The Giants] will be fired up, and Lincecum will probably throw the ball pretty good, but we've got Roy Halladay on the mound and we like our chances."
Prediction: While Halladay is sure to have a good game, the question becomes: how many runs will Lincecum allow? Lincecum and the Giants don’t want to play Games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia; Giants win Game
5 by a score of 2-1.
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