Ding Ding, Round 2

The most hyped pitching match-up of the 2010 play-offs has thankfully got a mulligan. Game 1 in Philadelphia turned into something more akin to damage limitation than the hitter domination that had been forecast after Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay’s respective play-off debuts. Against the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds the two ace’s combined to pitch eighteen innings, allowed two hit and exactly zero runs. Just as a reminder neither of the two had pitched in the play-offs before. Not a bad introduction. Unfortunately the sequel was somewhat of a letdown after the impressive postseason debuts with Lincecum prevailing with seven difficult innings in which he allowed 6 hits and 3 runs, that qualifies as a quality start but hardly overpowering, luckily for ‘The Freak’ Halladay was slightly less impressive, also going seven innings while giving up four runs on eight hits. Neither pitcher had their best stuff on that cold Saturday night but thanks to the competitive nature of the NLCS the public gets to see a rematch of Halladay-Lincecum, and all indications are that round 2 will be significantly different from round 1, at least for one side of the equation.

Lincecum has had a very successful year facing the Philadelphia Phillies, going 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA and holding only three Phillies to above a .250 average, that’s Jayson Werth, Placido Polanco and Ross Gload. Halladay has had less success against the Giants with an 0-2 record and a startling 7.23 ERA. Given his track record against this Philly line up and his relative success in game one shows a potential position of strength the man they call the ‘Franchise’ whereas his potential successor as the NL Cy Young winner will have to change his fortunes against the Giants.

Both pitchers have had outstanding careers so far but tonight can only be a defining performance for one of them, and it will be the orange clad hurler who has that opportunity. For Halladay it is a game he has to win to keep Philadelphia’s season alive, Lincecum has the opportunity to do something far more historic. The Freak can signal a new dawn for this Giants organise and send them to their first World Series since 2002, which in itself isn’t exactly a huge deal on its own but, what is significant, it would be their first Fall Classic with Barry Bonds. How fitting if the new face of the franchise was the one to seal it.