Major League Baseball

Kawakami: Underdog role suits Giants against Phillies

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:15 a.m. ET

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Sometimes, it's not bad to be driving the race car with just a little less horsepower than the other guys.

Less pressure. Less expectation. Less chance for a wild, public spinout when things heat up. Maybe some extra motivation?

OK, the Giants aren't exactly baseball jalopies here, and they proved their pedigree by winning the division and then knocking off Atlanta in the first round.

But stacked up against the gleaming, star-studded, World Series-proven Philadelphia Phillies, the Giants do look a bit ordinary.

"I think everybody in the National League knew that, once you got there, you'd have to play the Phillies," manager Bruce Bochy said during Wednesday's open workout.

And here the Phillies are, exactly as preordained. The Giants in the NL Championship Series? Not so ordained.

Of course, in the much-anticipated matchup, which starts Saturday in Philadelphia, this is not a terrible spot for your scrapping, Torture-Ball Giants.

They're a proud pastiche of castoff hitters, solid veterans, young risers and lockdown pitchers. They're fighting history, the numbers and the odds in this one.

The Giants will have to grind it out, depend on their pitching, snap at the heels of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and Jimmy Rollins, and hope the NL Goliaths take a tumble.

Perfect! Let the Phillies feel all the pressure, especially if they drop an early game or two.

"I'm sure we're the underdogs," Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff said. "I mean, we are the underdogs, if you ask me.

"(Philadelphia) is the team that is the class of the NL the last two or three years. They are the best, and they're going to be the best until someone knocks them off."

The history: The Phillies won the World Series in 2008 and went back in 2009, only to lose to the New York Yankees.

If they make it to a third Series in a row, the Phillies would be the first NL team to do so since the St. Louis Cardinals did it from 1942-1944 (winning the Series twice).

Meanwhile, the Giants haven't won the Series since 1954 -- none in San Francisco -- and haven't been there since they lost to the Anaheim Angels in 2002.

The numbers: The Phillies won 97 games during the season, compared with the Giants' 92, and they did it in the tougher NL East, scored 75 more runs and went thermonuclear behind their tri-aces down the stretch.

With Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels going lights out, and the powerhouse offense finally coming to life, the Phillies went 40-17 from Aug. 1 on, to pass and then pull away from Atlanta in their division.

The Giants passed and then fended off San Diego to win their division and split the six-game season series with the Phillies. But while Philadelphia was turning it up, the Giants went 31-25 from Aug. 1 on.

The odds: The Phillies are heavy betting favorites to win this series.

"You know they're a really good team," Giants outfielder Cody Ross said of the Phillies. "They've had their struggles, though. They had a tough time scoring runs at one point.

"It's going to be a dogfight. Both teams have really good pitching staffs. And both teams have guys who can really swing the bat. We're excited. I think it's going to be an amazing series."

Naturally, for the Giants, the best and most significant angle is the pitching, which is where the numbers support the Giants.

They had the No. 1 team ERA in baseball during the season at 3.36, and are coming off a thoroughly dominant performance by all four of their starters against Atlanta. The Phillies had a 3.67 ERA, which was sixth.

And the Giants' bullpen registered a 2.99 ERA (No. 2 in the majors), in contrast with the Phillies' 4.02 (No. 18).

"Pitching takes us everywhere we go," Huff said. "Top to the bottom, our starters all the way to our bullpen. Especially the second half, it's really carried us.

"Our motto this whole year has been, 'Score three.' Score three or maybe four. It's a testament to our pitching and our defense. Score four runs and let our pitching take over."

Score what you can, let the pressure affect the Goliaths, and see what happens.

For the Giants, that's not a terrible formula -- against the odds, lacking a little horsepower and enjoying every battling moment of it.

Read Tim Kawakami's Talking Points blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami . Contact him at tkawakami@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5442.

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