Phils vs Giants in NLCS, Halladay vs. Linecum

The Phillies are back in the NLCS for the third consecutive year. For the first time, their opponent won't be the Dodgers.

The Phils will square off against the San Francisco Giants starting Saturday at Citizen's Bank Park. This series has several underlying story and could be primed for an extended series. The longest series the Phillies have played during their post-seasons the last few years is six games, in last year's World Series.

Game one is an epic match-up of two of the most dominant pitchers in baseball as Roy Halladay faces off with Tim Lincecum. Game two is likely to be Roy Oswalt against Main Cain, a battle of tough lefties in game three with Cole Hamels vs. Jonathan Sanchez. Game four is where it gets interesting.

Last night, in game four of the NLDS, the Giants used Madison Bumgarner and he pitched very well. San Fran will likely go with a four man rotation in the championship series as well, setting up Linecum for game five, Cain in six and Sanchez in seven.

The Phillies will have a decision to make. They were setup for a three man rotation in the NLDS, but only because the schedule allowed them to pitch H2O all on regular rest. If Charlie Manuel wanted to bring Halladay back in game four, he'd be pitching on three days rest. Expect Joe Blanton to get a start at some point in this series.