One Giant Leap: Giants Beat Phillies, 3-2, To Advance To World Series

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Juan Uribe belted the go-ahead solo homer off Ryan Madson with two outs in the eighth inning, and the San Francisco Giants secured their first trip to the World Series since 2002 with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Giants were able to eliminate the two-time defending National League champions in six NLCS games despite lifting starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez after two-plus innings.

In the bottom of the 8th of Game 6, the Phillies looked ready to erase the deficit created minutes ago by the Giants’ Juan Uribe and his solo home run. Down 3-2, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez were on second and first, respectively, with one out. And they did this off Tim Lincecum, the Giants’ ace and postseason hero, who was coming off short rest in an unfamiliar relief position.

Brian Wilson, the Giants’ everyday closer, entered in his stead to elicit an inning-ending double play from Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz struck the ball well, but it fell right into Aubrey Huff’s glove, and Victorino was doubled off.

For four and a half innings, Game 6 of the NLCS was locked in a 2-2 tie. It is no longer, thanks to Juan Uribe’s solo home run that just managed to clear the right-field fence.

Uribe’s homer, off Ryan Madsen, has brought the Giants into a 3-2 lead, and only six outs from a trip to the World Series. If the score holds, it would be courtesy of an unlikely source, as Uribe is only 2-for-25 in the 2010 postseason. Not counted in that 2-for-25, of course, is the sacrifice fly that helped deliver a win for the Giants in Game 4 of this series.

Roy Oswalt gave up a total of nine hits over only six innings in Game 6, but he managed to spread them out well enough to only surrender one earned run. He struck out five without issuing a single walk.

Though Oswalt is accustomed to going deeper into a ballgame, especially with the score knotted at 2, his pitch count had reached 99 by the end. His most impressive pitch may have come in his final inning, when he struck out Pat Burrell with a filthy 12-6 curve.

Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez has been removed from Game 6 after only two-plus innings, but at least they were interesting. Following Sanchez’s baserunning gaffe in the top of the third, he walked the Phillies’ Placido Polanco to open the bottom of the third, then -- inadvertently, it would appear -- hit Chase Utley.

While trotting to first, Utley scooped up the ball he had been hit with and flipped it in Sanchez’s direction. Sanchez clearly took offense to this, as he began shouting at Utley. From first, Utley waved at him dismissively, and both the Giants’ and Phillies’ benches emptied.

In an error-filled top of the third, the Giants managed to knot up Game 6 at two apiece. Pitcher Jonathan Sanchez led off the inning with a single. Andres Torres followed up with a rope to center field. Torres seemed to have been able to stretch it into a double, but Sanchez halted at second base. Torres, in fact, nearly ran right into the stationary Sanchez.

Freddy Sanchez then managed to sacrifice the runners to second and third, and a subsequent Aubrey Huff single sent Jonathan Sanchez home. Andres Torres, attempting to score from second, was thrown out at the plate.

Up first for the Phils will be Oswalt, who lost Game 4 in relief, but held the Giants to just a run and three hits in eight innings last Sunday to get his first win of this postseason. He also fanned nine in the victory.

The loss out of the bullpen on Wednesday was Oswalt’s first in 11 career postseason appearances. He fell to 5-1 with a 3.58 ERA in nine playoff starts and two relief appearances and is 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA in the NLCS.