Phillies fall to Giants in Game 1 of NLDS, 4-3

They cautioned against the blaring hype of a pitchers' duel with one steady warning. You never know.

The players and managers of both the Phillies and Giants said this because they know. They know how hard it is for a pitcher - even ones with the biological and mental qualities of Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum - to repeat the motion of throwing a baseball approximately 100 times and expect precision when it leaves the hand.

They also know this undeniable principle: It is impossible for a pitcher to control every variable.

In the sixth inning of the Phillies' 4-3 loss to San Francisco in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, Halladay began his walk from the mound to the dugout after throwing a 90 m.p.h. cutter on the black to Pat Burrell with two outs.

Halladay executed his pitch. He thought it was a strike.

"Yeah, I did," Halladay later said.

But home plate umpire Derryl Cousins did not agree. It was close, Charlie Manuel said, this much is sure.

Burrell hit the next pitch for a run-scoring double off Raul Ibanez's glove to pad the Giants' lead. Juan Uribe followed with an RBI single. That was the game.

And that's why you never know. The Phillies lost a Game 1 for the first time in eight series. The favorites to win a third consecutive National League pennant suddenly face some measure of adversity.

They lost with their ace and presumptive Cy Young Award winner on the mound. Halladay, 10 days removed from throwing a no-hitter in his postseason debut, was hittable. So was Lincecum, but he had enough go right on this night.

In seven innings, Halladay allowed four runs on eight hits. He retired the first seven batters he faced before Cody Ross, the 36th hitter to challenge Halladay this postseason, had the first hit against him. It was a solo home run, crushed deep into the left-field stands.

You never know because no one would have predicted Ross - San Francisco's No. 8 hitter - to hit two home runs off Halladay. Ross, the former Florida Marlin and noted Phillies killer, was claimed off waivers by the Giants at the end of August simply to block him from the San Diego Padres.

That makes him - along with Burrell, who was also released earlier this season -the unlikely Giants heroes of Game 1. At best, Ross did enough to show the rest of the baseball world that, indeed, Roy Halladay is human.

"It was a bit of a reality check," closer Brad Lidge said. "You're always surprised when Roy gets hit. It's once in a blue moon."

The Ross home runs bothered Halladay, but he was especially perturbed in the sixth after Cousins did not grant the strike call to Burrell as the pitcher expected. After Uribe's single extended the San Francisco lead (and provided what ultimately was the deciding run), Halladay muttered some callous words to Cousins as he passed the umpire.

It's not that the Phillies couldn't muster quality swings off Lincecum. Both Carlos Ruiz and Jayson Werth homered. Chase Utley just missed one in the first inning. Twice, the Phillies stranded runners in scoring position.

"I think we need to hit better," Manuel proclaimed.

Lincecum needed 30 pitches to finish the sixth. He batted in the seventh and then set the Phillies down in order on just 11 pitches.

As Shane Victorino struck out against the bearded San Francisco closer Brian Wilson to end the game, he tapped his bat on the ground. The Giants stormed out of the dugout to celebrate.

The Phillies and their fans left the stadium saddled with this deflating reality: Down an ace, they trail a series.

"You find out," Halladay said, "what you're made of."