On Wednesday November 3, 2010 the city of San Francisco will host a victory parade for their World Series champion San Francisco Giants. The parade will follow the historic route taken by Giant players and coaches to celebrate their move to San Francisco from New York City in 1958.

In the pantheon of Giants history, there is an iconic photo every Giant fan knows well: a smiling, waving Willie Mays sitting atop the back seat of a convertible next to infielder Hank Sauer amid a parade of cars driving down Montgomery Street, a huge sign high above them celebrating "Welcome SF Giants". It was 1958, and San Franciscans came out by the thousands to welcome their new Major League team to the West Coast.

On Wednesday, the Giants will replicate the 1958 route, starting at 11:00 AM at the corner of Washington and Montgomery Streets. The parade of champions will go southbound on Montgomery to Market Street. right (west) on Market to Civic Center Plaza. On the steps of City Hall, Mayor Gavin Newsom will present the team with key to the city. Giants front office executives, Manager Bruce Bochy and his coaches, and all the winning Giant players are expected to be on hand.

After their Monday night World Series win over the Texas Rangers at Rangers Stadium in Arlington, Giants fans throughout San Francisco celebrated their team's victory well into the night. Thousands of people gathered at AT&T Park at 3rd and King Streets, then marched down 3rd to Market Street stopping at sports bars and any establishment that served adult beverages along the way. In the Marina District, and at the corner of Market and Castro Streets, thousands more fans spilled into the surrounding neighborhoods as the party that waited 56 years to happen exploded in happy celebration. Because the San Francisco Giants have won the 2010 World Series!

                        

The San Francisco Giants have won the 2010 World Series, taking four games to one from the American League Champion Texas Rangers. Giants starter Tim Lincecum beat Rangers' star starter Cliff Lee by a score of 3-1 in a second face-off between the two aces during this intense World Series.

Lincecum went 8 innings, giving up three hits, one run, and two walks, getting ten Ranger hitters on strike-outs. Giants' closer Brian Wilson shut the Rangers out in the 9th to get the save. World Series MVP Edgar Renteria hit a three run home run in the top of the 7th inning to break a double shut-out by both starting pitchers.

Tim Lincecum was at the top of his game from the first inning on, and was ahead of Ranger hitters throughout the entire eight innings. Lincecum got two of the Giants four Series wins. In the five game Series, the San Francisco Giants out scored the Rangers 29-12.

This ends a 56 year span of the Giants franchise not winning a World Series title. Since moving from New York City to San Francisco in 1958, this is the team's first World Series win after going to the World Series in 1962, 1989, and 2002 without winning.

The San Francisco Giants have won the 2010 World Series, beating three of the best teams in baseball to get it done: the Texas Rangers, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Atlanta Braves!
 

                                                                                 

First, let me disclaim all of what I am about to say here.

The San Francisco Giants have played the 2010 post season like one of those massively powerful circular tunnel digging machines, with twenty-five diamond drill bits, relentlessly cutting through the toughest rock, making a path where no one said they could go. And Manager Bruce Bochy has made not just the right moves, Bochy has made moves like he's working in a different dimension, a chess master playing the game five moves ahead of the guy sitting across from him.

And my most recent blood test, taken by outsourced medical staff employed by my off-shore HMO, has proven once again that I actually do bleed orange and black. Do I believe the Giants will win the 2010 World Series? In the words of Charles Bronson in his final scene in "The Magnificent Seven"....   "you're damn right...".

But something has just popped up. A small piece of shell in the middle of an expensive lobster feast; an AT&T Park pigeon leaving a small white gift on the roof of my new 2011 Land Rover Continent Cruncher; my beloved great grand uncle passing away, and it turns out he owes money. You know what I'm talking about?

I'm talking about the 2002 World Series. The Giants were leading the Series over the Anaheim Angels 3 games to 2. Then came Game 6, the bottom of the 7th inning, Giants leading 5-0. After one out, Giants' Manager Dusty Baker walks out to the mound to take starter Russ Ortiz out of the game and bring in reliever Felix Rodriguez. Before Ortiz leaves the mound, Baker does something totally anti-baseball (and possibly un-American). He gives Ortiz the game ball. Instead of taking the game ball from Ortiz and giving it the reliever, he gives it to Ortiz who walks off the mound with it and trots into the dugout.

And that's not all Ortiz took into the dugout. The Angels proceeded to put on a s-storm of a rally and won the game 6-5. Then they won Game 7, and the Giants lost the World Series.

Bruce Bochy has announced his line-up for Game 5 of the 2010 World Series. Aaron Rowand is playing. And center fielder Andres Torres is playing in right field. This feels a little like Bochy is giving the game ball to Aaron Rowand, celebrating a wee bit too early, not playing Nate Schierholtz with his awesome defense, moving Torres out of his normal position. I guess the idea is to give Rowand a start in the World Series, but...

Will someone please talk me through the open window and back into the building? Can anyone find that damn ball from the 7th inning in 2002 and cover it with chocolate sprinkles so Pablo will think it's a doughnut hole? Rowand will go 2-4, right? Burrell will have 2 walks and a double, OK? Lincecum will spin a complete game shut-out, yes?

Someone...  anyone?

The San Francisco Giants multi-tasked nicely in World Series Game 4: they put on an all-world defensive clinic, became only the second team in 2010 to shut out the Texas Rangers at home, and introduced yet another young phenom pitcher to the baseball world.

They also won Game 4 by a score of 4-0, taking a dominating 3-1 lead over Texas in the 2010 World Series.

The hard-charging Texas Ranger offense batted .276 in the 2010 regular season-- the highest of any MLB team. In Game 4 Sunday night, the Rangers were shut out for the second time in four World Series games, as their mighty bats hit the ultimate immovable object: Giant pitching. Rookie starter Madison Bumgarner made Series history as he shut out the Rangers for 8 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6.

Closer Brian Wilson took just 11 pitches to complete the team shut-out in the 9th, striking out Rangers Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton in a 1-2-3 inning.

For those baseball afficiandos who wondered just who Madison Bumgarner is, it may be time to put down their Baseball Digests and start paying serious attention to the game. Bumgarner was the first pick by the Giants in the first round of the 2007 Amateur Draft, and the 10th pick overall. From 2008 to the first half of 2010, his minor league stats were outstanding: 34-6 with a 2.00 ERA. After a short stint at the end of the 2009 season, the Giants brought Bumgarner up for good last June-- his first start was a June 26, 2010 loss against the Boston Red Sox.

In World Series Game 4, Bumgarner showed the same mental discipline and focus he demonstrated throughout the second half of the 2010 season. His signature sling-shot delivery and ability to move his fastball up and down around all corners of the plate had Ranger hitters off balance throughout the game. Bumgarner is 21 years old, but think about this: in July 2009, he was 19 years old.

It has been noted throughout the media, but it's worth repeating: the Buster Posey-Madison Bumgarner tandem was the first all-rookie World Series battery since 1947, and Bumgarner is the 5th youngest pitcher in the history of the World Series.

The epic pitching battles of the 2010 post season continue tonight, as the Giants try to wrap up their first World Series victory since moving to San Francisco in 1958, and their first as a franchise since 1954. It's Tim Lincecum versus Cliff Lee and it should be, as the great Yogi Berra once put it, "a real cliff dweller."

Game 3 of the 2010 World Series was all about the Texas Rangers pulling up the reins on the San Francisco Giants post season runaway stagecoach, and Giants' starter Jonathan Sanchez once again failing to put his brand on a Giants victory. More importantly, from this point on there will be no further use of cowboy references in this blogpiece.

The Rangers' well-played 4-2 victory in Game 3 was a must win scenario and starter Colby Lewis delivered their deliverance by giving up 2 runs in 7.2 innings pitched. And give Texas first baseman Mitch Moreland a hard slap on the butt for punching out a three run homer with two outs in the 2nd inning. It would be all the offense the Rangers would need.

On the Giants side, it is a story of failing to execute on all fronts. Sanchez managed to only deliver 4.2 innings of work, giving up all four Ranger runs. Offensively, the big story is left fielder Pat Burrell's dismal performance at the plate: four at-bats, four strike-outs. Burrell's 2010 World Series resume features a nasty 0 for 9 with eight strike-outs, this from the player the Giants rely on for raw stampeding power.

The critical questions raised by the Giants' Game 3 loss have quickly overwhelmed the need for excessive postgame review and analysis. And let's get to them pronto:

 1. The Pat Burrell offensive vacuum. Burrell will be on the bench for Game 4, and Nate Schierholtz gets a start in right. Can Burrell work through an ill-timed World Series slump in one off day? The Giants need his power and tremendous ability to work counts to present their best offensive package against the Rangers.

2. Who will pitch for the Giants in a possible Game 7 now begins to loom large out of the San Francisco fog. It would be Jonathan Sanchez's turn, but there is no way Bruce Bochy starts Sanchez at this point. Madison Bumgarner on three days' rest? A variety of starters and relievers in a mixed stew of pitching? Stay tuned.

3. Can the Giants get their hitting attack rebooted? This team lives on the edge of winning and losing as a matter of routine, and either you double your medication and enjoy the ride, or you live in a shadow world of terror and angst.

Game 4 will be the pivotal contest in this Series. Enjoy the ride!      

Game Two of the 2010 World Series at San Francisco's AT&T Park initially walked and quacked like a classic pitchers' duel, with the Giants' Matt Cain battling Rangers' starter C. J. Wilson through 4 1/2 scoreless innings.

Halfway through the game, when Giants' shortstop Edgar Renteria stepped up to the plate with one out in the bottom of the 5th, both teams had two hits, no runs, and each pitcher had given up just one walk (although Cain's 5th inning pass was intentional to Ranger first baseman Mitch Moreland).

Then Renteria hit a home run, and three innings later baseball history began breaking out all over again at the 2010 World Series. The Giants won the game 9-0, and along the way they sent the curators at the Baseball Hall of Fame scrambling to update the record books.

In the Giants' 11-7 Game 1 victory in this rocking world championship, Giants' second baseman Freddie Sanchez forced his way into the Cooperstown record book by being the first player in MLB history to hit doubles in his first three World Series at bats.

In Game 2, baseball's all time record books were again dusted off and reopened when: 1) the Giants tied a World Series record with 20 runs scored in two consecutive games; 2) the Rangers became the first team in history to give up 20 runs in the first two games of their first World Series; and, 3) San Francisco became the first team in World Series history to score seven runs in an inning after two outs and with the bases empty.

Four critical moments from World Series Game 2.

o  In the top of the 5th inning, Rangers' second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a deep fly ball to center field. The ball
    somehow hit the top of the centerfield wall, which is maybe three or four inches wide, and bounced up in the
    air and back to the field. Andres Torres scooped the ball up and rifled a throw to the infield, holding Kinsler
    to a double.

    But that's not all. Matt Cain then got three infield outs, stranding Kinsler at second, to slam the door on the
    Rangers' threat.

o  In the top of the 7th, Giant Manager Bruce Bochy set up his standard ahead-late-in-the-game defensive
    package, with Cody Ross moving from right field to replace Pat Burrell in left, and Nate Schierholtz taking
    over in right field. The first Ranger's hitter, David Murphy, hit a ball to the left field line that Ross caught and
    Burrell may not have reached. The second Texas hitter, Matt Treanor, hit a shot to Triples Alley in right 
    center that took Schierholtz's extraordinary speed to track down and catch.

o  Under extreme pressure, extreme patience at the plate. In the bottom of the 8th inning, with two outs, Giant
     batters proceded to manufacture seven runs with 4 walks, 2 singles, a double, and a triple. An amazing
     performance by the San Francisco offense on baseball's biggest stage.

o   In the top of the 8th inning, Bochy once again brought in lefty specialist Javier Lopez to neutralize a power
     hitting left-handed batter. In this case with the score 2-0 Giants, a runner on second base, two outs, and the
     game still up for grabs, Lopez relieved Matt Cain and threw four pitches to get slugger Josh Hamilton on a fly out.       

A final note about San Francisco Giant Edgar Renteria. The veteran shortstop was signed to a two year contract in 2009 for $19.5 million--- and Renteria's poor offensive output and deteriorating defense soon made that contract one of the worst signings by the Giants' front office in years. Now, with the slumping Pablo Sandoval not playing regularly in the post-season, Renteria has stepped up big time on the field and has had several key at bats.

In Game 1 of the Series, Renteria made an out play on a ground ball up the middle that he hasn't made in maybe four years. When they talk about what veteran players can bring to a team in a pennant race and in the post season, look no farther than the 2010 performances of Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria.

Next: The Series moves to the Texas Rangers' Arlington Stadium for three games, Saturday 10/30, Sunday 10/31, and Monday 11/01. Of the last 14 World Series teams to win the first two games played, 13 have gone on to take the Series.

You could hear the disappointment in the voices of Fox Sports TV World Series broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. It was only the bottom of the 3rd inning of World Series Game 1, and much-hyped Texas Ranger starter Cliff Lee was already showing signs of unraveling.

It was unthinkable, but somehow Lee gave up two runs and allowed the San Francisco Giants to tie the game 2-2. This was starting to be an annoying problem, but McCarver and Buck stuck to Fox's set game script and suggested this was just a bit of a "hiccup" for the otherwise masterful Lee.

Then, complete disaster-- for the Rangers and for Fox Sports. With two outs in the bottom of the 5th inning, the Giants took a 5-2 lead in a storm of extra base hits and unceremoniously bounced the untouchable Cliff Lee out of the game. Rangers' reliever Darren O'Day (or, as broadcaster McCarver renamed him, "Dennis" O'Day), followed Lee, and Giants' third baseman Juan Uribe immediately tagged him with a three run homer to inflate the score to 8-2 Giants.

After more runs, many errors, and lots of relief pitchers getting into the game, the final score was Giants 11, Texas 7, Fox Sports 0. And San Francisco went up 1-0 to start the best of seven games Series.

Not only Fox Sports but virtually the entire national sports media built the Rangers' Cliff Lee into seemingly the greatest World Series pitcher in baseball history. What a nice, tidy story line it was going to be watching Lee mow down the rag-tag, scruffy, underachieving San Francisco Giants line-up to start the 2010 World Series. Only, it didn't happen.

Back on Fox, the often incoherent McCarver was almost apologetic as he and partner Buck scrambled to make sense of things as their carefully pre-scripted game went completely rogue on them. Toward the end of the ballgame, Joe Buck said, only half jokingly, "this goes against everything we talked about in our pre-game analysis...  so just don't listen to us anymore...". What, and miss all the car wrecks that have made Fox's World Series TV broadcasts so hilarious the past five years. Not likely.

What is most fascinating about Fox's build up of the Cliff Lee Story is what they had to leave out of the story to make it work. Sure, Lee had outstanding post season stats before last night's game against the Giants: 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in 8 starts the past two years. So far, so good. But Lee's overall 2010 record was 12-9 with a 3.18 ERA.

Amazingly, after being traded from the Seattle Mariners earlier this year, Lee's regular season record with Texas was 4-6 with a 3.98 ERA. But for Fox, that kind of negative information wouldn't fit into the approved story line.

Other than making them look foolish, why does Fox care?

In 2009, Fox Sports paid Major League Baseball $2.5 billion as part of a five year contract to broadcast a variety of games, including the World Series each year. To make a profit on that investment, Fox needs a lot bigger audience than the normal baseball fan demographic; Fox needs to attract millions of casual viewers and sports fans whose only serious exposure to baseball on TV each year is the World Series.

This is the market segment that can dramatically drive MLB TV ratings up in a given year, which means commercial spots the following year can be sold at top dollar, which means Fox makes money. To fully capture that audience, Fox needs to prep that vast, unwashed demographic with a simple, easy to understand story line they can follow. Fox prepped the 2010 audience with the Cliff Lee Story, so when Lee imploded in Game 1, Fox had a confused and scattered casual audience, who may now lose interest and drive the ratings down.

Will Fox attempt to shift the story line to another, easy to understand hyped-up script? Perhaps to those lovable scamps, the San Francisco Giants? Stay tuned.

The Manuel on Charlie Manuel
It seemed that Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel was sleepwalking during the NLCS, the crusty old skipper appearing to forget that the rule against using all 25 players in a playoff game was changed in 1909. He managed the NLCS like it was an annoying formality on the way to another Philly World Series.

It's hard to remember a more badly mismanaged playoff series during the modern era: a number of righty-lefty pitcher/hitter match-ups ignored, costing the Phillies runs; the Phils' line-up changed, then changed again, in mid-series because of media criticism; endless base runners not sacrificed into scoring position; pitcher Roy Oswalt allowed to make the decision that he was going to pitch the 9th inning in Game 4, which the Giants immediately untied and won; the inability to decide just where lead-off hitter Jimmy Rollins should bat. And so on.

Thanks to his performance in the NLCS, Manuel has turned into the opposite of The Most Interesting Man in the World. When having soup for lunch, he often uses a fork; he thinks the 7th inning stretch is something that happens in the middle of nap time; he thought Barry Bonds would be a good post-season hitting coach for slugger Ryan Howard; to prepare for the NLCS, he asked the Commissioner which NL ballpark would be using the DH this year.

"I don't often drink beer for breakfast, but when I do...    ".

The Texas Rangers Meet The Machine
The biggest factor in the first two games of the World Series will likely be the partnership of AT&T Park and the San Francisco Giants' celebrated pitching staff. The Giants in their spacious home park have a reputation for shutting the door on strong offenses and frustrating the most feared power hitters.

This season, the Phillies were 7th out of 30 MLB teams with 772 runs scored-- Texas was 5th overall with 787 runs scored. But during three NLCS games at AT&T Park the Phils scored only 9 runs and lost two games. The Rangers will have to demonstrate quickly they can adjust both offensively and defensively in San Francisco's large yard. Specifically, "Triples Alley" some 421 feet deep in right center field will be a challenge for Texas hitters and for DH/right fielder Vladimir Guerrero.

How WiIl the Giants' Line-up Do Against Cliff Lee?
Oddly enough, this season and post-season San Francisco Giant hitters tended to do well against the NL's best plate-covering strike-throwers. Here are some of the top National League starters the Giants tagged with losses this year:

-- three against the Astros'/Phils' Roy Oswalt (4/5, 5/15, 6/22);
-- the Cards' Adam Wainwright (4/24);
-- the Phils' Roy Halladay (4/26);
-- the Phils' Cole Hamels (8/19);
-- the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez (9/1; the Giants also got 7 earned runs off Jimenez on 7/3, in a game the Giants
    won but in which Jimenez did not get the loss);
-- two against the Padres' Mat Latos (9/12, 10/3).

Cliff Lee is an excellent pitcher who is hitting his stride and will be very tough in his Series starts. But the Giants' line-up is full of free-swinging extra base hitters who cover the plate (and sometimes try to cover a large area around the plate).

Also, it may surprise some people to learn that Cliff Lee did not go 20-0 this season. In fact, Lee was 12-9 with a 3.18 ERA; he gave up 195 hits in 212.1 innings.

Who Will Win the 2010 World Series?
The Giants will take the Series in six games.

The Texas Rangers had a team batting average of .276 in the regular season, they were 7th among 30 MLB teams with 123 steals (the Giants were 30th with 55 SB). But the Rangers did not routinely face a pitching staff anywhere near the quality of the Giants' staff. Of the top seven team ERAs in the Majors this year, six are National League teams:

1. San Francisco 3.36
2. San Diego 3.39
3. Atlanta 3.56
4. Oakland 3.56
5. St. Louis 3.57
6. Philadelphia 3.67
7. NY Mets 3.70

On to WS Game 1!

Sure, we can talk about Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton's inspiring personal journey from alcohol and drug abuse to MLB super-stardom. We can trade stories about several truly eccentric Giant players, notably closer Brian Wilson and first baseman Aubrey Huff. And there will be endless discussions around the amazing circumstance of Texas catcher Bengie Molina facing the same Giants' team that traded him on June 30th to make way for rookie star Buster Posey.

But as we approach Game 1 of the 2010 World Series between the Giants and the Rangers, what about some raw, uncooked, organic numbers? Major League Baseball presents seemingly limitless reems of player performance archives, team records, and League histories, so how about some damn chewy stats?

Disdained by old school managers, coaches and fans, and alternatively touted and discarded by the media, baseball's numbers are the fourth dimension of a wondrous universe. More indicators than predictors, MLB statistics are an intensely valuable window into the game. The following is a smattering, a mere scratching at the surface, a flirtatious taste, if you will. And I know you will...

Hitting:

2010 season	RS	RA	TB	HR	XBH%	BA	BB	OPS	RG	SB% SB-CS	GDP	SH/SF	W-L	SB3-CS3
Giants	697	583	2,241	162	7.8%	.257	487	.729	4.30	63% 55/32	158	76/41	92-70	6-3
Rangers	787	687	2,360	162	7.2%	.276	511	.757	4.86	72% 123/48	129	53/54	90-72	16-6

RS: runs scored/RA: runs allowed/TB: total bases/XBH%: percentage of all plate appearances ending with an extra base hit/BA: batting average/BB: bases on balls/OPS: on base %+slugging %/RG: runs scored per game/SB% SB CS: stolen base %, stolen bases, caught stealing/GDP: grounded into a double play/SH-SF: sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies/W-L: wins losses/SB3:CS3- steals of 3rd base, caught stealing 3rd base.

Pitching:

2010 season	ERA	CG	tmSHO	HR	BB	R	SO	WP	WHIP	HR/9	BB/9	QS	IPmult	3pk	SV	BSv	Hold
Giants	3.60	6	17	134	578	583	1,331	74	1.271	0.8	3.6	95	118	234	57	16	65
Rangers	3.93	7	8	162	551	687	1,181	56	1.310	1.0	3.4	76	126	193	46	20	82

 

 

ERA: earned run average/CG: complete games/tmSO-shutouts by a team, one or more pitchers/HR: home runs allowed/BB: walks allowed/SO-strikeouts/WP: wild pitches/WHIP-walks+hits per innings pitched/HR9: home runs allowed per 9 innings pitched/BB: walks per 9 innings pitched/QS: starter pitched at least 6 innings giving up 3 or fewer runs/IPmult: games in which a reliever pitched more than 1 inning/3pk: 3 pitch strikeouts/SV: saves/BSv: blown saves/Hold: pitcher entered the game in a save situation, did not get a save or a win, did not give up the lead.

Fielding:

2010 season	E	Ch	PO	A	DP	Fld%	CA	CDP	PB WP	SB-CS  %	OFE	OFA	OFDP	PE
Giants	73	5,941	4,383	1,485	110	.988	103	11	6    74	115-49 30%	7	33	5	17
Rangers	105	5,970	4,366	1,499	132	.982	61	4	8    56	116-35 23%	18	35	4	14

E: team errors/Ch: team fielding chances/PO: team putouts/A: team assists/DP: team double plays/Fld%: team fielding percentage/CA: catcher assists/CDP: catcher double plays/PB: passed balls/WP: wild pitches/SB-CS%: opposition stolen bases, caught stealing, percentage/OFE: outfield errors/OFA: outfield assists/OFDP: outfield double plays/PE: pitcher errors.

Most recent San Francisco Giants vs Texas Rangers regular season series (interleague play): June 19-20-21, 2009 @ SF

	W	L	R	HR
Giants	3	0	11	4
Rangers	0	3	7	3

Game 1  6/19/09   6-4 Giants    WP S. Romo  LP S. Feldman Game 2  6/20/09   2-1 Giants    WP S. Romo  LP J. Jennings Game 3  6/21/09   3-2 Giants    WP B. Zito      LP: K. Millwood

The San Francisco Giants have earned prime dugout seating in the 2010 World Series as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday night. Giants' third baseman Juan Uribe's 8th inning solo home run broke a five inning tie, and San Francisco held on to win their fourth National League pennant since moving from New York City following the 1957 season. 

The Giants and the American League pennant winning Texas Rangers will meet in the first Series game on Wednesday October 27th in San Francisco.

True to their winning formula of supersized pitching and just enough offense, the Giants overcame an early knockout of starter Jonathan Sanchez, who gave up two 1st inning runs and had problems controlling his pitches and his temper. After the Giants tied the game 2-2 in the top of the 3rd, Sanchez started the bottom of the inning with a walk to Phils third baseman Placido Polanco, then proceeded to hit Chase Utley in the back. Utley grabbed at the ball as he jogged to first base and tossed it in Sanchez's direction. After words were exchanged, both benches cleared before order was restored and the game continued.

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy restored further order by pulling Sanchez, who had thrown fifty pitches in two+ innings, and going to his bullpen. Other than missing the team plane, this is probably a manager's ultimate playoff nightmare; but left-handers Jeremy Affeldt (2 innings), Game 4 starter Madison Bumgarner (2 innings), and winning pitcher Javier Lopez (1 inning) came into the game and gave up no runs, 3 hits, and 1 walk while striking out 4 Phillies.

In contrast to Bochy's use of an array of the available pitching tools on his belt throughout the series, Phillies' Manager Charlie Manuel badly overused ace reliever Ryan Madson, who pitched in four of the first five games. And though Madson had not pitched two full innings in any game all year, Manuel allowed his favorite reliever to go two innings in Game 6, giving up the go-ahead home run to Juan Uribe and taking the loss.      

After Uribe's blast pushed the Giants ahead 3-2 in the top of the 8th, Thursday's Game 5 starter Tim Lincecum gamely started the bottom of the inning in a valiant effort to get to closer Brian Wilson. Lincecum struck out slugging right fielder Jayson Werth, but the next two batters singled, causing Bochy to thank Lincecum and task Wilson with a five out save and two inherited runners. The next batter, Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz, graciously solved a number of immediate issues by lining into an inning ending double play.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, Brian Wilson mixed two outs with two walks before facing Philadelphia cleanup hitter Ryan Howard with two runners on. After getting two strikes on the big slugger, Wilson abandoned a series of 97 MPH fastballs to strike Howard out looking on a nasty cut fastball that cruised in low across the outside edge of the plate.

And the final totals? There are two of particular note here: first, Giants right fielder Cody Ross was named 2010 NLCS MVP after hitting .350 with 6 extra base hits (3 of them home runs), his .950 slugging percentage making NLCS history as the highest ever in a six game series.

Second, a telling insight into not only the NLCS, but the Giants' entire 2010 season: in six NLCS games, the Giants scored a total of 19 runs; the Phillies scored 20 runs. It's a pitching-centric formula that wins games, but often compels Giant fans to double their medication and borrow the ignition keys to any available heavy machinery.