Paul Hagen: Phillies bullpen provides relief this time

SAN FRANCISCO - The qualities that characterize a successful relief pitcher include great stuff, unusual composure and a short memory. Not necessarily in that order.

So 1 night after the Phillies' bullpen was knocked around for three runs in a disheartening National League Championship Series loss, manager Charlie Manuel was forced to go back to his relievers early and often after starter Roy Halladay pulled his groin and needed 108 pitches to get through six innings.

This time, Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge combined to pitch three shutout innings, and the Phillies kept their World Series hopes alive by beating the Giants, 4-2, at AT & T Park.

"We know as a group it's not going to happen very often," Madson said. "And when it does, you've got to get through it and go out there the next day with all the confidence in the world. And that's what we did."

Lidge pitched in only his second save situation of the postseason, but put the Giants down with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Madson was really impressive, especially considering that he threw 32 pitches Wednesday night. He struck out the side.

"It was big," Manuel said. "We needed that. He's been working a lot.

"We've had to use him."

Madson said he didn't feel great warming up, but that it didn't matter once he got in the game.

"It doesn't matter," he said with a shrug. "As long as all your body parts are attached, you can go out and play. It doesn't matter at this point. These games, you can't feel anything. You just go out there and pitch. I had a good cutter and a good slider. And it just worked out.

"I had really good stuff. I had a really good cutter. I just dropped my arm angle down a little bit and it worked. I'd done it before, but I'd just gotten away from it throwing fastballs and changeups the last couple days. So I just wanted to use my cutter and, thankfully, it was there for me."

Even though Halladay had to depart early, Manuel needed only to get through the seventh. If the Phillies had the lead at that point, the strategy was pretty much paint-by-numbers after that. And that's how it worked.

Many pundits thought the Giants had an edge in the bullpen coming into the NLCS. But Lidge said the Phillies' big-game experience can't be overlooked.

"We feel comfortable with close games," he said. "In those situations, our bullpen has a lot of experience and certainly we know what to do. They probably feel the same way, but we've been able to do it quite a bit."

* That pitching coach Rich Dubee came to the mound to try to settle down starter Roy Halladay only 10 pitches into the game?

* That Halladay needed 43 pitches to get through the first two innings?

* That after splitting up lefthanded hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard after Game 1, Manuel had the duo batting third and fourth, respectively, again last night? And that it allowed the Giants to bring in lefty specialist Javier Lopez to face them in the eighth with one on and one out? A strikeout and a fly out later, the inning was over.

The Giants were threatening in the fourth. Cody Ross had just driven in a run with a double that scored Pat Burrell from second. There was one out. And when Pablo Sandoval lined out to Jayson Werth in right, Ross tagged up and tried for third.

He would have made it, too, if Werth hadn't unleashed a perfect throw to third baseman Placido Polanco that arrived on the fly and just in time to nail Ross.

They say that every time you go to the ballpark, you might see something you've never seen before. Sure enough, it happened again in the top of the third.

With Raul Ibanez on second and Carlos Ruiz on first and nobody out, pitcher Roy Halladay bunted the ball straight down. Giants catcher Buster Posey picked it up and threw to third trying to force the lead runner, but the throw was off line and Ibanez was safe.

Halladay, meanwhile, stood at the plate because he thought the ball was foul. And it might have been. But third baseman threw across the diamond for the out, just your typical 2-5-4 sacrifice.

of Franzke

Charlie Manuel said as far back as spring training that he not only wanted to go back to the World Series, he wanted a rematch with the Yankees.

There might not be anybody rooting for a Phillies-Rangers matchup than radio voice Scott Franzke. Before he came to Philadelphia in 2006, the Dallas native spent 4 years as a pre- and postgame studio host and fill-in play-by-play man for Texas.

"It would be be a lot of fun, obviously," he said. "My parents still live there. My brother. I get regular updates on what the Rangers are doing from them. So it would be great to see them and a lot of old friends. Having been [to World Series] the last couple years, I know what a thrill it is, and I'd be really happy for some people I know in the organization, for them to experience that.

"I'd certainly still want to beat them, but it definitely would be special."

Adding to the allure is that one of Franzke's closest friends is veteran Texas broadcaster Eric Nadel.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Eric," he said. "I grew up listening to the guy. Through internships and part-time jobs and whatever, he took an interest in me. It would really be neat to experience that. In the press box at The Ballpark, they have glass windows between the booths. It would certainly be an interesting feeling to look through that glass and see Eric on the other side."

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch in the third inning. That's the fourth time he's been nailed this postseason, tying the record held by Miguel Cairo for the Yankees in 2004 . . . The Phillies and Giants pitching staffs have combined to allow only 104 hits in 152 2/3 postseason innings. *

Send e-mail to hagenp@phillynews.com.