The Philadelphia Phillies thrashed the San Francisco Giants 6-1 by displaying another round of stellar performance on their home ground.
The Giants were unable to gather their act together despite some attempts earlier in the match. Jonathan Sanchez tried to lift the spirits of his team and pitched a commendable battle but failed to rally his team behind. Except for Cody Ross, no other hitter of the Giants was able to sustain the pitches of the Phillies' Roy Oswalt.
Shane Victorino doubled and scored what was the tie-breaking run on Placido Polanco's sacrifice fly in the fifth, and the Phillies took the lead in a four-run seventh inning, that also had two intentional walks. Jimmy Rollins hit a bases-clearing double off the scoreboard in right-center field, an encouraging performance from a player who had been 1 for 17 in this postseason.
Ross chugged along and hit a solo shot to break up a no-hitter for the third consecutive playoff game. He is the fourth Giant player to hit four home runs in a single postseason, tying the record with Jeffrey Leonard in 1987.
Oswalt had a complete control of the game and did not allow any other Giants' runner to score until Pablo Sandoval walked and until Freddy Sanchez scored a single in the eighth.
Jonathan Sanchez tried to match Oswalt but failed to do so as his fastball remained mostly in the upper 80s the remainder of the game.
The Phillies remain a favorite this season and are strong contenders for the coveted World Series.
