NL Championship Series Game 1: Giants 4, Phillies 3

Game 1 of the National League Championship Series was touted as the best postseason matchup in ages.  It was a pitching duel that featured two former Cy Young winners in Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum.  What it turned out to be was the continuation of the coming out part for outfielder Cody Ross who led the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

While both Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay didn't pitch their best games, the key to this game was offense.  The Giants were able to get more going against Halladay then the Phillies could get against Lincecum.  The Giants scored four runs behind Cody Ross' two solo homeruns and Pat Burrell and Juan Uribe's RBI hits.  All the Giants needed was those four runs to win the game.

Tim Lincecum did give up a two-run homerun in Jayson Werth in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead down to 4-3.  Lincecum went one more inning after that before handing the ball over to the bullpen.  Left-handed specialist, Javier Lopez, then came in for two outs against Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  Then Brian Wilson was brought in for a four-out save and in normal Wilson fashion he made it interesting.

Game 1 was just the continuation of the Cody Ross coming out party.  Ross has stopped two no-hitters in back to back games with homeruns.  In the final game of the NLDS, Derek Lowe was on his way to a no-hitter before Ross went deep.

Ross has been a nice story for the Giants.  He was acquired by the Giants at the end of August when the Marlins released him and Brian Sabean put in a claim for him so that the San Diego Padres could not.  That move has turned out to be one of the best moves that Brian Sabean has made.  So far in this postseason, Cody Ross is batting .353 with 3 homeruns.

The Giants will go for another win tonight against Roy Oswalt, who they have had ownage on this year.  If the Giants win tonight, then they would have three chances in San Francisco to win two games.