Washington Nationals’ lefty starter John Lannan is now 0-10 against the Phillies – the classic definition of “snake bit.” Last night in Philadelphia, Lannan couldn’t make it out of the third inning, as the Phillies put up six runs on seven straight hits. After the Phillies recorded a 7-3 win (sweeping the Nationals at Citizens Bank) Nats’ manager Jim Riggleman shook his head over Lannan’s record: “What are they, 10-0? That’s too much for the quality of stuff John has for any club to do that,” he said. “I don’t have any explanation other than that they are a very good ballclub, but they just see him good or something. Most of their guys are on him good.”

If there is good news from the loss, it is that the Nats’ bullpen was, once again, effective — giving up just one run in eight innings. Nationals hitters, however, couldn’t master the Phillies’ starting pitching, as uber ace Roy Halladay glided to his fifth win of the season. Halladay pitched seven innings of six hit ball, registering 10 strikeouts without walking anyone. There doesn’t seem to be any doubt — Halladay’s 2011 campaign makes him the best pitcher in baseball, his only loss coming on April 19 in Milwaukee. He has a 2.19 ERA, while averaging a little over eight strikeouts per game.

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: The Atlanta Braves, with the upstart Marlins, are emerging as Philadelphia’s competitor for the top spot in the NL East. The Tomahawks swept their four game set with the Brewers, taming the beer kings at home last night by a score of 2-1. The key for the Braves has been their pitching — they are first in the NL in ERA and their staff has thrown five complete games. Last night was symbolic of what the Bravos have done: nifty new righty Brandon Beachy (he’s 24, with a 2.98 ERA) threw six innings of four hit baseball and the Braves got just enough runs to win.

Can the Braves give Philadelphia a run? We’ll find out soon enough: Atlanta waltz’s into Philadelphia tonight to take on the red-hot Phillies, with Derek “NASCAR” Lowe taking on Cliff Lee. Both have had their issues. Lowe can’t seem to get any run support from his teammates. The last time he faced Philadelphia, on April 10, he pitched beautifully against Phillies’ boppers, but received no run support and lost the game — 3-0. While Lowe hasn’t been exactly lights-out this season (he’s 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA), the Braves score just a bit over one run when he’s on the mound.

Cliff Lee, meanwhile, has been Lannan-like against the Tomahawks. He’s had three starts against the Bravos and is an embarrassing 1-2 with a 6.98 ERA. The Peach Tree Nine scalded Lee in his first start against them this year: on April 8, he just couldn’t seem to get them out — giving up 10 hits and six earned. It’s a head-scratcher. This is an important series for the Braves, who trail both the Marlins (who take on the Nationals starting tonight in Miami) and Phillies in the N.L. Least.

The Marlins must be pleased with these May match-ups. With Philadelphia and Atlanta slugging it out in the City of Brotherly Love (or whatever), the Fish can strut their stuff in Miami, where they play well against the Nats. The Marlins are emerging from a knock-down, drag-out three game series against the Redbirds in St. Louis, where they lost two of three. Their last loss, last night, featured Josh Johnson looking confused — the first time this year that has happened. Johnson gave up 5 runs in 7.1 in taking his first loss of the season. Even with that, he wasn’t that bad: his command was a little off (he gave up four walks), but with some run support, he’d have been in the game. St. Louis scored four in the 8th, but not against him.

No one is fooled: even with the loss, Johnson still sports a 1.68 ERA. Just how good is this guy? While he’s not carrying the team, he’s a near sure-lock win everytime he appears. In seven appearances this year, he’s never gone less than six innings — his walk totals are low, his strikeouts high, his command good and his stuff better. He might be the best pitcher in baseball, excepting Halladay (oh, and Tim Lincecum). The Nats stroll into whatever-their-stadium-name-is-this-year to take on the Marlins tonight for a three game set. The good news is they won’t be facing Johnson.

Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies shut down the Washington Nationals for eight innings last night at Nationals Park — but a 9th inning rally fell just short of what would have been a thrilling win. Halladay was brilliant through eight: he allowed just two hits and no runs over those innings in outmatching Washington sluggers. In all, Halladay threw 123 pitches, 88 of them for strikes. John Lannan also pitched well, but not well enough, giving up two runs on six hits in six innings. But Halladay was the story of the game. “He was good, not just tonight. Every time he takes the mound, he is good,” Nats fill-in third sacker Jerry Hairston said of Halladay. “He screws the ball around — cuts it, spots it, sinks it. He has four pitches that he could go to anytime.

The Nationals made it interesting in the 9th. Rick Ankiel led off the inning with a double and Jayson Werth (the subject of Philly fan signs in the seats along the third base line) followed with a single. Halladay recovered to strike out Adam LaRoche on a biting curve — at 81 mph. But the Nats kept the rally alive: Laynce Nix powered a line drive into right field, scoring Ankiel and Danny Espinosa followed with a single that drove Jimmy Rollins deep in the hole at short. But Halladay cut the rally short, striking out Matt Stairs (who never got the bat off his shoulder) and Pudge Rodriguez.

The Wisdom Of Section 1-2-9: With Phillies fans grouped along the third base line, Section 1-2-9 served as a kind of counterpoint. “Look at those guys,” a fan in row AA said, nodding to a loud group of Utley jersey-wearing groupies in the next section over. “I’ll bet they can’t even name Philadelphia’s starting line-up.” There was a nearby chuckle: “Schmidt at third, Dick Allen in left, Carlton on the mound . . . good players, crappy team.” A nod: “Didn’t Carlton win the Cy Young when they were a last place team?” A Phillies fan two rows back was listening, and leaned forward: “Yeah in ’72,” he said. “The Phillies won 59 games, he won 27 of them.” No one turned around.

When John Lannan took his warm-ups there was silence, and then this — “he put on weight, looks like he bulked up.” And then a response: “We should have traded him after his rookie year, when teams were asking about him. I don’t think they’re asking any more.” There were nods all around: “It’s always tough pitching when you’re behind in the count,” a fan said, “but Lannan has the toughest time. He just serves it up. When it’s 1-2, I just look the other way. It’s line drive time.” There was agreement with this: “Well, this year he has an infield, so maybe things will change, you never know.” The familiar face in a “DC” hat, who’d seen all of the team’s home games last year, chimed in. “They’ll keep him,” he said. “There’s no guarantees on Strasburg. Everyone assumes he’ll be back in September. But he was having forearm problems before he went down with the elbow.”

There were surprisingly few comments on Roy Halladay, even as he set down the side in the 5th and 6th. Except for a near surrender from a regular: “Yeah, well, it’s Roy Halladay.” Inevitably, perhaps, the talk turned to Bryce Harper. “He just put one out in Lexington,” a fan announced, turning in his seat. “You know, Davey Johnson has an interesting philosophy,” a fan responded. “He says if a guy can field his position, knows the strike zone and swings only at strikes, he’s ready.” A fan nodded: “By that measure Harper is ready now — we can send Broderick packing.” Another regular had this to say: “To hell with putting him in right. If you’re going to teach a guy the outfield, put him in center. He’s athletic. When’s the last time the majors had a premier center fielder?” The subject turned to pitching: “If I never see Garrett Mock up here again it’ll be too soon,” a Nats regular announced. “In Spring Training, everyone was talking about how good his stuff is. But when he gets up here, we never see it.”

In the top of the 9th, when it seemed Halladay would cruise to an easy victory, there were some final judgments. “I like our infield,” a fan said. “I wouldn’t trade it away for Greinke. I’m glad we didn’t do that. We need to develop pitching, not trade for it.” Nods, but one disagreement. “We need a a strike out guy, desperately. And we need to get this done in the next two years. Zimmerman isn’t getting younger and Werth will be at his peak next year and the year after. We do it then or we don’t do it.” Silence, and a final coda: “Listen, I’m just overjoyed that every time I look into the outfield I see Rick Ankiel out there instead of Nyjer Morgan.” No one said a word.

The Washington Nationals are now 1-4 and have lost three in a row. After a good start on Wednesday night in Florida (the Nats took a 4-0 lead on the solid pitching of Livan Hernandez), the Nationals fell to the Marlins, 7-4. The game was a symbol of what Washington seems to do so well: after innings of good starting pitching, the Nationals bats fell silent, the opposition was let back into the game, and the bullpen was less than stellar. Reason to panic? Not according to Nationals’ players: skipper Jim Riggleman said after the game that the clubhouse was still positive and that it was only a matter of time before the Nats break out. True enough, it’s still early — right? Right?

It’s not a secret, the hole in the Nats team is the starting pitching: the relief core is solid, the team should be able to hit. But in the early going, the bullpen has struggled — and key players bats are silent. Chad Gaudin and Todd Coffey’s ERA is soaring, and even the best arms seem tentative. Adam LaRoche, Michael Morse and Rick Ankiel are looking up at the Mendoza line, hitting .158, 118 and .133 respectively. Of course, or so the argument goes, we can expect that the Nats are going to have trouble getting on track so long as they face the Marlins, Riggleman told Mark Zuckerman. “You have to start feeling that you’ve got to put these guys away when you have an opportunity,” the manager said. “They’ve got a good group there, and they’ve had their way with us for a couple years now. There’s nothing to do but battle your way out of it and bust open a ballgame to where they can’t come back.”

I’d Rather Eat Glass Than Hear Another Word About The Phillies: While baseball is oohing and ahhing about Philadelphia’s Phab Phour, let’s try to remember that the San Francisco Giants are the champions of the world. Last night they showed why: the Giants sent the Padres packing 8-4 behind the pitching of (who else?) Tim Lincecum. Lincecum was at his best, holding the Friars to three hits in seven innings: he struck out 13. He struck out 13. So while there’s all this talk about Halliday, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels (as, I suppose, there should be), Lincecum is still the best pitcher in baseball. Yeah, yeah, yeah — but what about Halliday? Well, what about him?

For all of the sturm and drung about the NL East, it’s still the NL Least — the NL West is the tougher division. By far. Check the facts: the NL West has supplied two World Series teams in the last five years, the Rockies and Giants, the West has provided the NL’s best pitching staffs in three of the last five years (Dodgers, Padres and Giants), and nine of the last 12 Cy Young winners have come from the NL West (that’s unbelievable, when you think about it). Sure, there’s the Phab Phour in Philly (and a tough but, let’s admit, not a great staff in Atlanta), but the NL West has a top-flight rotation in San Fran and nothing to sneeze at in Los Angeles, Colorado and San Diego. Name one Atlanta starter who’s as good as Ubaldo Jimenez. Yeah, okay: Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe are savvy, but that’s because they have to be — their fastballs are Ubaldo’s change-up.

That’s just a part of it. While anyone and their mother can pick the Phillies to win the NL East, you have to flip a coin when it comes to the West. “No more division has been more hotly contest over the past five years,” Sport Illustrated noted in its baseball preview issue. No one would be totally shocked if the Padres came close again this year — a reminder to those who thought they’d be the worst team in baseball in ’10. No division in baseball has had tighter races (since ’06 no one has won the West by more than two games), and the West has more one run games than anyone else. So . . . so, Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and Bumgarner don’t sound like Halliday, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels, but they were good enough last year to win it all — and the Giants have Brian Wilson. And the Phillies have . . . well, they’ll let us know. The Giants are slow out of the gate, but last night’s ho-hummer in Friarland is a reminder that San Francisco remains the team to beat.

The Philadelphia Phillies-San Francisco Giants NLCS is now a nasty confrontation — as an angry and glaring Roy Halladay and an equally irritated Pat “the Bat” Burrell exchanged looks and words in the first inning of Game Five. Halladay stared in at umpire Jeff Nelson and Burrell noticed: “What are you looking at?” he yelled. The Halladay-Burrell mini-confrontation is symbolic of how these two teams feel about each other, as was apparent even in Game One, when Halladay tossed Cody Ross’s broken bat to the ground instead of handing it to him. Such simple discourtesies are noticed in baseball: the NLCS isn’t your back yard. For Halladay, the winner of the tilt’s fifth game in San Francisco on Thursday (and for Burrell as well) such exchanges are all about “the competition,” but we might expect more of the same at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday: “the competition” is becoming heated, the games more intense, the reward a spot in the World Series against the AL champ.

“This sounds like a non-story,” one Phillies fan reflected. “Burrell has struck out so many times in his career that he should know the drill by now — go sit down and shut up.” But in the pages of the Philadelphia Daily News (that model of journalistic excellence), Phillies’ fans are gearing up to give Burrell a typical Philadelphia welcome when the series resumes on Saturday. “In explicit, vulgar terms, with a reference to Halladay’s possible Oedipal issues, Burrell rhetorically asked Halladay what he was looking at.” Halladay was less confrontational: “You understand,” he said, “there’s a lot of emotions obviously at this point in this season. He’s a competitior and these things happen.” Well, okay. But “these things” are happening with some regularity now, as Tim Lincecum channeled Burrell in the 7th, staring down Jimmy Rollins at third as he stalked from the mound: “You stay there,” he yelled. “You stay there.” Lincecum’s words weren’t enough to keep Philadelphia from a must-win in the fifth game — and now the series returns to Philadelphia, where the Giants will send Jonathan Sanchez to the mound against Roy Oswalt. Phillies’ fans will be ready.

The Philadelphia Phillies face elimination tonight in the NLCS, as the Ponies dropped a nine inning thriller in San Francisco, 6-5. While Juan Uribe is credited with the walk off sacrifice fly that won the game, Buster Posey (4-5, two RBIs and .313 in the playoffs) was the San Francisco hero — unless, of course, you credit the lack of production of the Phillies (2 for 22 with runners in scoring position) and their more-than-average bullpen for the loss. The Phillies are now bitten with the same bug that plagued them throughout the season: they go for long stretches without being able to muster key hits or runs, counting on their front line pitching to carry them through the tough games. Then too, Philadelphia’s less-than-vaunted bullpen was, er — less than vaunted: Chad Durbin’s post-season ERA now reads 18.00. Oh The Humanity: a team that spent seven months looking for runs is outhitting and outscoring a team that is (or was) an offensive machine.

Fans of the Ponies are starting to lose hope — and for good reason. While Roy Halladay starts tonight against Tim Lincecum, it’s more than possible that the holder of two no hitters over the last seven months will go down as the loser in two playoff games in the same year; it will be the first time that has happened in MLB history. But even if Halladay pitches brilliantly, the Phillies will have to win two more. Sweeping the Giants the rest of the way (which is what the Phils will have to do to win) isn’t impossible, but given Philadelphia’s Great Collapsing Bullpen (Madson is unhittable, but he’s the only one), top-of-the-order famine (Victorino’s hitting .200, Utley an embarrassing .133), and swing-from-the-heels habits (11 strikeouts yesterday, three hits and seven Ks against Cain), that seems unlikely. Even Jayson Werth, the key to the Phillies’ attack (.250 in four games, two left on base last night), is stuck in neutral. This is a real deal, this-looks-like-July, Phillies’ slump.

Phillies’ fans agree — things don’t look good. Phillies Nation called Wednesday’s tilt “the most heart wrenching loss” of the season, The Good Phight described the loss as “a game of bullpen catastrophes large and small,” Beerleaguer said that the game represented a “cavalcade of carelessness,” while Fightin Phillies viewed Charlie Manuel’s decision to bring Roy Oswalt in to pitch the 9th as sure evidence that the manager has lost faith in Brad Lidge. “We just have to win now,” Phils shortstop Jimmy Rollins says. “We’ve got good pitchers. They can shut teams down. We’ve seen them shut teams down, especially when times get tough. They seem to get better. I think we’re going to get their best.” That’s right. But after Wednesday’s loss it’s an open question whether Philadelphia’s best will be good enough.

Phillies’ fans were in fine form at “The Bank” on Saturday night, whistling derisively every time that Tim Lincecum came to the plate (“you forgot your skateboard”), picking away at the gaggle of orange and black clad fans grouped along the third base line (“is that the color of your panties?), and hooting the Phillie Phanatic’s pantomime of a ’60s hit (“Are You Going To San Francisco?”), that featured the disrobing of a Giants-clad hookah toker. But the Phillies’ faithful could not reverse the final score (a 4-3 Gigante squeaker) made possible by Lincecum’s steady seven inning performance, Cody Ross’s two home runs, and Brian Wilson’s five-up-four-down blow-it-by-em save. It must have been a humbling experience for the Broad Street Bombasts: by the bottom of the 8th, even the most feverish Phillie follower had to admit that in the battle of Bullies vs. Hippies, the scales had tipped decisively in favor of the pantywaists. “My God. You know, we’ve just got to bench Jimmy Rollins. He can’t hit anything. Charlie’s gotta sit him down.”

After the game, San Francisco ace Lincecum made light of the whistling that greeted his every plate appearance. The hooting wolf whistles (“you sure are pretty, Timmy”) from the City of Brotherly Catcalls didn’t bother him, he said. “I was thinking, ‘I must have a nice butt, or something,’” he laughed, then added: “Those Phillies fans must like something about me. I took it as a joke.” Well, maybe: but for Lincecum to say that he “must have a nice butt” would be Fightin’ Words in South Philly — where such jokes are made very privately. If. At. All. The hand-lettered made-in-the-kitchen signs (Wanna Smoke?”) that greeted Lincecum’s appearance seemed less than welcoming (“Hippy Trash”), in keeping with Philly fandom’s habit of picking fights simply for the sake of it: “Fix Your Teeth,” one said; while another (just a few rows over), evinced the struggle its author had with creativity: “You Stink!”

In truth, while the made-for-TV pitcher’s duel ended up being something less-than, it was Roy (“Doctober”) Halladay who struggled, while Lincecum proved more than capable (113 pitches, 71 for strikes). Halladay’s thigh-high fastballs didn’t impress Marlin import Cody Ross, a former rodeo cowpoke who planted two of them unceremoniously in the left field stands. And Halladay struggled in the 6th, giving up a double to the roundly booed Pat Burrell, a former Philly whose career has been revitalized by his steady play for Bochy’s Bashers. Burrell’s double angered Halladay, who complained that his third pitch on an 0-2 count should have been a strike. But Halladay wasn’t alone in his complaints, as the strike zone shrank as the game went on, so much so that a similar get-em-across offering from Lincecum to Jayson Werth resulted in an unnecessary two run shot. But that’s all that Philadelphia would get, as Brian “Beach Boy” Wilson (97 on the gun) set down five Ashburns on four strikeouts for the save.

The Wisdom Of Section 131 — Philadelphia Edition: There were dozens (but only dozens) of San Francisco hats at Citizens Bank Park, but only one “Curly W” from Washington. The appearance of the “W” brought puzzled looks and a few jabbing comments: “You’re kidding, right?” There was a suspicious squint and then a shrug: “Don’t worry pal, you guys’ll get here. You got that Strasburg guy and I hear you have a beautiful ball park.” Two rows up, and just behind the Giants dugout, a Philly fan (his Spiderman tattoos covered biceps the size of tires) reached out after the game, then stopped: “Am I shaking the hand of a Giants’ fan?” No, no. “Well, good,” he said. “And anyway. That was a heck-of-a-game.” So give them this: Philadelphia’s faithful know baseball. Between the 1st and 9th innings no one left for chili dogs or beers, but stayed riveted in their seats, snapping their white rally towels like a bunch of kids . . .

Philadelphia fandoms’ brutish approach might be a bit overdone, but the constant catcalls brought ushers down into the stands in the 6th, eyeing the environment like weathermen gauging an approaching storm. They herded the Giants’ faithful into the section’s first two rows, away from any offending comments. When a Phanatic (clad in a #26 Chase Utley jersey) seemed on the verge of picking a fight with a Giants fan sporting a large #27 on his back (Juan Marichal’s old number) — “Hey, number 27, sit down . . . do yourself a favor and just sit down . . .” — a Philly’s fan turned ominously in his seat and slowly shook his head, warning the offender. He got the message . . . Meanwhile, up under the stands in the middle of the game, a group of plainclothesman broke up a three-way fight, clapping the offenders in handcuffs, which brought a whining protest. “C’mon officer, Doc is pitching. Can’t you arrest me after the game?”

"Hey, number 27, do yourself a favor and just sit down . . ."

There’s no predicting these things: C.C. Sabathia was supposed to be unstoppable last night versus the Rangers, the feisty Twinkies were supposed to throw fear into the line-up of the Empire, the Braves — energized by their retiring manager — were picked to give the Giants fits. That’s not what happened. C.C. struggled (but the Yankees rallied, and won), the feisty Twins went silently into the New York night and Bobby Cox could not, did not, save his team from an early NLDS exit. Which is only to confirm that there is nothing so certain in baseball as uncertainty, nothing so sure as that someone whom you’ve never heard of will become a series hero while the great ones will look, very often, just average. All that’s true, very true. And yet, tonight’s Citizens Bank match-up between Philly Roy ‘Doc” Halliday and San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum might be the closest thing that baseball has had to a perfect pitching match-up in this century, barring even the heart-thumping Greg Maddux-Randy Johnson tilt of 2001.

The Arizona-Atlanta match-up of 2001 is worth remembering. The Braves came into the 2001 series the favorites, boasting a class-of-baseball rotation led by Maddux, gamer Tommy Glavine and veteran innings eater John Burkett. But the difference, the pundits believed, was a line-up anchored by savvy backstop Javy Lopez and all-world long-ball artist Chipper Jones — then just 29 and at the peak of his production. The Diamondbacks responded with a twosome that was every bit as fearsome as the Maddux-Glavine duo: Randy Johnson was on his way to the Hall of Fame, while Curt Schilling (at 22-6) looked unbeatable. But the heart of the D-Backs line-up was filled with 30-somethings — Tony Womack, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, Steve Finley and an aging and gimpy Mark Grace, then 37. There wasn’t an under-30 player in Arizona’s front nine, making them the odds-on favorites to head to the pines when the dust settled.

Then, as now, pitching proved to the be the difference — but not exactly in the way that everyone had predicted. The phenomenal duel-to-be of Game 1 turned out to be just that, with Johnson and Maddux mixing it up pitch-for-pitch. Maddux pitched brilliantly, but not brilliantly enough, giving up six hits and two runs and taking the loss. Randy Johnson was simply better, throwing a nine inning three-hit eleven strike out complete game. A masterpiece. The game went to the veteran over-30s, as pepperpot Craig Counsell and steady Luis Gonzalez dinked and dunked doubles and singles in a kind of baseball water torture. One run was all that Johnson needed — Reggie Sanders and Luis Gonzalez gave him two, scoring Counsell twice. The Braves could be satisfied, though barely, that their own big gun (Chipper Jones) looked solid, accounting for two of their team’s three hits. But it didn’t matter.

If the current Philadelphia-San Francisco series follows form, then tonight’s game — like the Atlanta-Arizona match-up of 2001 — will be memorable for what it tells us about the staying power of its center-stage ace. But the game will not determine who goes on to face the Yankees or Rangers in the World Series. That decision will be made in game three and four by a second-tier ace (like Roy Oswalt or Matt Cain), whose steady presence and lock-down middle-game brilliance (like that of Curt Schilling against the Braves in 2001) will allow the front-of-the-rotation hurler a second shot at a second win. Here’s how it happened in 2001. After Randy Johnson’s stunning out-of-the-gate brilliance (and with the series knotted at 1), Curt Schilling gave Arizona a leg-up with a nine inning performance in Game 3. Atlanta wasn’t worried — they had Maddux for Game 4. But Maddux was less than stellar, giving up four runs in three innings.

Suddenly faced with elimination in game five, and running out of pitching options, Bobby Cox rushed Tom Glavine back to the mound against Randy Johnson in Game 5 to stop the bleeding. Glavine was game: while pitching on short rest, he felt he could dominate the over-30 Arizona line-up. Still, this was a gamble — the Maddux-Glavine duo were matched perfectly to give the Braves their best mound presence with just the right rest. But Bobby’s gamble failed. Randy Johnson, pitching in his usual spot behind two other starters, dominated the Braves, winning his second game — and turning in a memorable (and even historic) post-season victory: seven innings, seven hits and his second series win. And so it is: we justly and properly remember the Atlanta-Arizona series for Randy Johnson’s two win brilliance, but the real difference was Schilling — whose nose-in-the-dirt performance gave Johnson the rest he needed, and made his win possible.

The Atlanta-Arizona model could well hold true for what we will see in Philadelphia tonight: an ace performance from an ace pitcher like Roy Halladay or Tim Lincecum. But the real test for these teams will come later this week, when Philly sends Cole Hamels to the mound against Matt Cain. If either manager — Charlie or Bruce — are then forced to throw Halladay or Lincecum out of their normal rotation spot (as Bobby Cox — in 2001 — inserted Glavine on short rest to salvage a single game and keep Atlanta’s hopes alive), then this series will be over. Predictions? On paper, Philly has the edge. It will be hard for San Francisco to match-up against the fearsome threesome of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels. But don’t bet against San Francisco. Tim Lincecum could just as easily be the Randy Johnson of 2009 — or, more importantly, Matt Cain could be San Francisco’s Curt Schilling.