SAN FRANCISCO—Doc got the best of The Freak this time in a rematch of aces.Roy Halladay outdueled Tim Lincecum and kept the Phillies alive in the NL Championship Series, pitching them back home for another attempt to stave off elimination with a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night. Jayson Werth’s solo homer in the ninth quieted the raucous sellout crowd of 43,713, and many fans began making for the exits even before Philadelphia pulled within 3-2 in the best-of-7 series.Halladay’s bunt — which appeared to be foul — helped spark a three-run third inning, when Shane Victorino drove in the first of two runs that scored on a fielding error by first baseman Aubrey Huff.Placido Polanco followed with an RBI single, and the two-time reigning NL champions forced a Game 6 back home in Citizens Bank Park on Saturday and another cross-country trip. Jonathan Sanchez starts for the Giants against Roy Oswalt, who is 10-0 in 12 starts at
Philadelphia this year.Philadelphia put San Francisco’s celebration on hold. The Giants now must win once in two tries at Philly for the franchise’s fourth pennant since moving West in 1958. San Francisco has not been to the World Series since the Giants’ Barry Bonds-led team lost Game 7 to the Angels in 2002.After Ryan Madson struck out the Giants 4-5-6 hitters in the eighth, Brad Lidge finished things off for the Phillies with a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the postseason. Philadelphia will try to become the 12th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-7 series. The Red Sox were the last to do it in the 2007 ALCS against Cleveland.The Giants put the possible tying run in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings but couldn’t capitalize, losing in a potential postseason clincher at home for the first time since Game 7 of the 1962 World Series against the New York Yankees.In a series dominated by pitching, the Phillies are
hitting just .209 and the Giants .220. Little has separated the teams, despite trailing in the series, Philadelphia has outscored San Francisco 18-16.Halladay hardly had no-hit stuff, but he had his edge. In a matchup of Cy Young Award winners won by Lincecum in the opener, Halladay stared down Pat Burrell after a called third strike to end the first, and Burrell jawed at Halladay while sprinkling in profanities. Clearly fuming in the dugout afterward, Halladay returned to the mound seemingly unfazed by that moment or a steady drizzle that hit during parts of the later innings. Halladay kept dealing, even if he wasn’t his most dazzling.Lincecum, the two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, beat Halladay five days earlier. He was 2-0 so far this postseason and pitched another solid game except for one rough inning, but the offense failed to back him.Halladay labored at times and threw 108 pitches in six innings, far from the control and dominance he
exhibited in tossing only the second no-hitter in postseason history Oct. 6 to start off the Phillies’ division series sweep against the Cincinnati Reds.Halladay hurt his groin in the second inning, according to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. Still, Halladay allowed two runs and six hits, struck out five and walked two – including a free pass to leadoff man Andres Torres in the first that led to a run on Buster Posey’s RBI groundout. The defense behind him even had a few bobbles Thursday but came through.After San Francisco skipper Bruce Bochy’s managerial moves paid off in the previous two games, Manuel made some tweaks that were spot on.Manuel flipped the top of his order, going with Polanco back in the No. 2 hole — where he batted in Game 1 against Lincecum — after Chase Utley had been there the previous three games. Utley batted third, giving the Phillies three lefties among his first four hitters including switch-hit leadoff man Victorino.Raul
Ibanez also was back in left field for the Phillies after sitting out against a lefty starter Wednesday. He snapped an 0-for-15 funk with a single to start Philadelphia’s three-run third inning.After Ibanez’s hit, Lincecum plunked Carlos Ruiz — the record-tying fourth time Ruiz has been hit this postseason. Halladay laid down a bunt that catcher Buster Posey picked up right near the plate. Posey threw to third, but Pablo Sandoval could not get back to the bag for the force. Halladay did not run, thinking it was a foul ball, and was easily thrown out at first.After Utley’s third-inning single, Lincecum retired the next 11 Phillies batters in order before Jimmy Rollins singled to start the seventh. Rollins then stole second and third, becoming the first to steal two bags in one inning of an NLCS game since New York’s Roger Cedeno in Game 4 of the 1999 NLCS. It’s now been done a total of seven times in NLCS history.