The Phillies were less than thrilled to fall behind early, but they just battled back and stormed out to the lead, which they'll be ecstatic to hand to Roy Halladay.
Phillies Vs. Giants, NLCS Game 5: Tim Lincecum Hit For Three Runs In Third
Raul Ibanez led off the top of the third with a line drive base hit, and - perhaps as a sign that something was awry - Tim Lincecum then hit Carlos Ruiz on the forearm with a pitch to put two on with none out.
That brought Halladay to the plate looking to bunt, and he got the bunt down to advance the runners. Or rather, he got a bunt down - a foul bunt, just to the right of home plate. But the home plate umpire ruled it fair even though replays showed it was clearly foul, and the runners moved up. Halladay didn’t run out of the box because he knew the ball was foul, so he was an easy target at first.
With two in scoring position, Shane Victorino came up and ripped a grounder to first base. Aubrey Huff got into a crouch and prepared to throw home, but the ball took a funny hop off of his body and into the outfield. That error allowed both runners to score and Victorino to move up to second, putting the Phillies on top 2-1.
They weren't finished. Placido Polanco followed with a single into left that scored Victorino and extended the lead to 3-1. And then, with Polanco on the move, Chase Utley hit another single to put men on the corners.
Lincecum, though, was able to bear down, striking out Ryan Howard and then getting Jayson Werth to fly out. That kept it a 3-1 game, even though it could've been worse.
Still, the Phillies are thrilled, and Lincecum’s pitch count is up to 53.
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