Phillies vs. Giants: Ill winds for hitters

We're not sure how closely the Phillies' Roy Halladay and the Giants' Tim Lincecum follow the vagaries of the atmosphere, but they would have to like the prospects for Saturday. It looks as though the winds will be blowing straight in, no matter what time the game starts. And for the hitters, it could be hand-stinging chilly, with temperatures topping out in the low 60s and then falling back into the 50s. The extended outlook is calling for steady, strong winds from the north -- that's centerfield -- starting about 1 p.m. Saturday and continuing through midnight. The National Weather Service is forecasting winds through the afternoon at 17 m.p.h., dropping gradually to 13 m.p.h. by 10 p.m. The winds would be courtesy of the backlash from a potent coastal storm -- the first nor'easter of the season -- that could wring out 1 to 2 inches of rain Thursday into Friday. Winds circulate counterclockwise around storm centers, and as this one parallels the coast and moves away toward New England, Philadelphia would experience northerly winds. Not that Halladay or Lincecum would need the help.