MLB Playoffs

Philadelphia enters Game 5 of the 2010 NLCS looking for a cure, and they'll turn to the good doctor Roy Halladay to find it as the Phillies get set to square off against the San Francisco Giants.

This game could be the last for the Phillies, so it’s "do or die" time, and that means several things for dem Phightin' Phils if they want to bring this series back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Buster Posey has announced himself to Major League Baseball. The San Francisco Giants rookie catcher broke out for the Giants in game 5 going four for five with two RBI's, in the Giants 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Giants now lead the best of seven series three games to one. 

It was Posey's at-bat in the bottom of the ninth that was the biggest, as Posey singled to right off of Roy Oswalt, sending Aubrey Huff to third, to set up Juan Uribe's sacrifice fly.

After four game into the NCLS, we have ourselves quite a matchup, but with contrasting results.

The Phillies have looked consevative, out of sync, and at times, without that fight that has made them who they are.

The Giants, on the other hand, have looked cool, crisp, and methodical which are the very tratis that helped them win the West.

Last night's game was a little indicative of the aforementioned.

While it's hard to put a grade on a game that was really based around well hit and placed balls, there are some specifics that could've made a difference.

The San Francisco Giants are where few thought they would be at the beginning of the season...hell, at the beginning of the postseason. They are one win away from representing the National League in the World Series.

The Giants came into this series as heavy underdogs to the reigning two-time NL champion Philadelphia Phillies.

After shocking the world and hitting around Roy Halladay in Game 1, they have taken care of business so far at home and throw out the winner of the last two Cy Young Awards in Tim Lincecum.

The San Francisco Giants are up 3-1 against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series and are one win away from a trip to the World Series.

If I would have told you in March that this would be reality, you would have looked at me and laughed. You might have thought the Giants picked up a big time hitter while trading away Madison Bumgarner or Jonathan Sanchez.

Well, there is no big hitter, but the pitching got even better.

There's no doubt about it. That was a heart breaker. And while the Phillies have their Big 3 lined up to attempt to climb out of the hole they find themselves in, they'll be facing a Big 3 every bit as formidable—at least in these playoffs—of the Giants.

So what went wrong in Game 4? Well, the Phillies finally scored some runs. Five of them in fact. But they had chances to score more.

Every bit as important (and fatal) was poor run prevention. Here's what I saw happen in Game 5:

It’s almost trite to ask what people initially think about when they ponder the New York Yankees and the postseason.

Some will say a team resting on the ink of a paycheck, while others will say an indelible mark on baseball’s identity.

But when you clear the air on a seemingly endless argument, you’re left with the only topic that is forward focus: The 2010 ALCS.

Here lie your 2010 Minnesota Twins. April 5, 2010-October 9, 2010.

Don't Mess With Texas!  

The New York Yankees have learned that very well over the past few days. The Texas Rangers went from being a forgotten entity of the AL to now just one game away from representing it in the World Series.  

They have proved that they are the AL's best team, and did so in underdog fashion. This would be the first time in team history that they would be going to the World Series.  

So now Texas looks to take out the defending champions and book their ticket to the 2010 World Series.  

The preseason favorites. The favorites after 162 games. The favorites after Game 6 in 2009.

These titles refer to the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yet they stand on the wrong side of the win-loss hyphen.

Both are losing to unproven teams with little postseason experience who were considered World Series long-shots before the season—the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.

Here's some advice to both teams on how they can turn things around.