Baseball is a game of one-on-one battles and subtle strategy.\u00a0 So much of that strategy only really comes into play when teams need to use methods other than hitting the ball over the outfield fence to get runners around to home plate.\u00a0 And the one-on-one battles, every last pitch of\u00a0every one of those battles,\u00a0could mean the\u00a0difference between a win and a loss.\u00a0 At this time of year,\u00a0each one could be the difference between a championship and heart break, between a parade down Broad Street and another Tuesday spent in the office in front\u00a0of\u00a0a computer screen.<\/p>\n
So, in this series, the little things will make the difference.\u00a0 The Phils’ will almost certainly have to employ small ball tactics (sacrifice bunts, hit-and-run plays, stolen bases, etc.) to scratch out hard-fought wins.\u00a0 So, how can they specifically attack this Giants team, and where do the Phillie strengths and weaknesses lie?\u00a0 Let’s take a look:<\/p>\n
Run on Lincecum<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0Largely thanks to Davey Lopes, the Phils’ have been the best base-stealing team (percentage-wise) in baseball over the last few seasons.\u00a0 As we noted in our Giants preview, rookie catcher Buster Posey has been excellent at throwing out base-stealers.\u00a0\u00a0He played shortstop at Florida St., so you know he’s athletic and has a strong arm.\u00a0 However, Giant ace Tim Lincecum has never been good at holding runners.\u00a0 Even from the stretch, his\u00a0long, unorthodox pitching motion means\u00a0the ball takes an extra split-second to get to the plate, and runners have exploited that.\u00a0 Victorino, Utley, Werth, and Rollins\u00a0have to be ready to take a bag, especially when Saturday’s game moves into the middle and late innings.<\/p>\n He doesn't move like Kung Fu Panda<\/p><\/div>\n Make Sandoval field the ball:\u00a0 <\/strong>Pablo Sandoval has been the Giants’ starting third baseman all year, though they did put Mike Fontenot in his place for the last two games of the LDS.\u00a0 Sandoval weighs 250 pounds, which means his range at third is extremely limited.\u00a0 If he is in there, Victorino and Rollins should consider trying to bunt for base hits down the third base line, making Sandoval come up and field the ball.\u00a0 Also, the Phils’ should consider more sacrifice bunts than normal, and those should also be directed Sandoval’s way, with the hope that the sacrifice could turn into a base-hit and a big inning\u00a0<\/p>\n Take the extra base on Burrell<\/strong>:\u00a0 No one knows better than the Phillies (and their fans) about\u00a0Burrell’s limited mobility in left field.\u00a0 His arm is actually a bit under-rated because, while it’s not strong, it is very accurate.\u00a0 He threw out a lot of base-runners in his time in Philly because runners under-estimated him.\u00a0 BUT,\u00a0his slow feet can be exploited.\u00a0 Any time a Phillie batter hits a bloop\u00a0hit to Burrell’s right, they should be thinking double out of the box.\u00a0 Any time a runner is on first and there is a double into the left-field corner, they need to be scoring.\u00a0 The Giants know they’re sacrificing defense and speed for Burrell’s\u00a0bat.\u00a0 The Phils’ need to make them pay for that decision.<\/p>\n Move the runners!:\u00a0 <\/strong>This is something that players should always be focused on, but it takes on an added importance in this series.\u00a0 Every player needs to focus on hitting the ball to the right-side with a man on second and no outs.\u00a0\u00a0Runners on third with less than two outs have to be driven in.\u00a0 Runners need to be locked in and focused at all times, taking third base on deep\u00a0fly balls, or even second base if Burrell makes a catch in the left-field corner.\u00a0 Small ball is back, and\u00a0it’s a beautiful thing, but only if it’s done right.\u00a0 The team that does it better may well\u00a0be the one headed to the Fall Classic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 2010 has been called the Year of the Pitcher, as the league-wide batting average was as low as its been since 1992 and there were 5 no-hitters.\u00a0 Well, if this was the Year of the Pitcher, then the NLCS will … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sportsnet.ca\/baseball\/fantasy\/2010\/03\/14\/rollins_slide_big_381.jpg\" "\\"rollins\\"")
How well is Rollins running?:\u00a0 <\/strong>Just about every strategy outlined below can include the caveat: “hopefully Jimmy is running well enough to help here”.\u00a0 So much of effective small ball is about speed, so the extent to which J-Roll can cut loose and run at full tilt will go a long way toward determing how much he can help in this series.\u00a0 He didn’t look great in the LDS, but there’s reason to hope that another five full days of rest could’ve really helped him.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/a\/a0\/4TH_Pablo_Sandoval.jpg\/300px-4TH_Pablo_Sandoval.jpg\" "\\"sandoval\\"")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/betting.betfair.com\/us-sports\/Placido-Polanco.jpg\" "\\"polanco\\"")
Hit-and-Run with Polanco:\u00a0 <\/strong>One of the main reasons the Phillies chose Polanco as their new third baseman was because of his incredible bat control and low strike-out rates, which is the type of hitter the Phillies needed in a very strike-out prone line-up.\u00a0 With the Phillies needing to manufacture runs in this series, and with Polanco struggling of late, they should take advantage of any opportunity to hit-and-run with him.\u00a0 After a sub-par September, Polanco had just one single in nine LDS at-bats.\u00a0 Many times a slumping hitter can benefit from the hit-and-run because it gets them to stop thinking too much and just make sure they put the bat on the ball.\u00a0 Few players put the bat on the ball as frequently as Polanco, and if Victorino is standing on first base, Charlie would be wise to put on the hit-and-run play.<\/p>\n