BOX SCORE
Twenty-five starts and more than 172 innings into his season, Cole Hamels is the first of the Phillies aces to contend with the dreaded dead arm period. Typically, a little extra rest and a little more time out of airplanes and buses is the remedy for such problems, so Hamels should be ready to go when his next turn comes up in Washington next weekend.
Meanwhile, just two starts back from a back injury that sidelined him for six weeks and sent him to Texas for examinations and injections, veteran right-hander Roy Oswalt might just skip those dog days and doldrums altogether. Come September he ought to be settling into a rhythm that should carry him deep into the postseason.
At least thats the Phillies hope.
Based on Oswalts effort in the Phillies 11-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night at the Bank, those hopes dont seem to be too far-fetched. After all, Oswalt appeared to be a strike-throwing machine in sewing up his fifth win of the season and the Phillies 13th victory in the last 15 games.
I think I pitched pretty well in San Francisco. I gave up a few more hits, but I felt like my stuff was better in San Francisco, Oswalt said in comparing his first two games back. Thats the funny thing about baseballsometimes you win and you dont have your best stuff and sometimes you lose when you do have your best stuff.
Oswalt gobbled up seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk. More importantly, Oswalts fastball topped out at 93-mph and he threw 67 of his 96 pitches for strikes with three of his five strikeouts coming on swings and misses.
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Perhaps the best indicator that Oswalt had his command working for him was the fact that he threw 23 first-pitch strikes to the 28 hitters he faced, including a stretch where he threw 13 of them in a row from the end of the first inning to the fourth.
Any time you get a little bit of help you can be a little more aggressive, Oswalt said. I was able to get the first pitch over and get them swinging early. I was thinking about getting deep into the ballgame and thought I could have gone one more inning, but they wanted me to stop.
Of course Oswalt was able to be aggressive because, well, he was facing the Nats. No, thats not a knock on a team laying a foundation for the future, but a combination of over-zealousness and carelessness in the field set up things perfectly for Oswalt. Handed a two-run lead after the first frame and five unearned runs in the fifth inning, Oswalt was free to attack hitters with his fastball.
As it played out, it was just what the doctor ordered for Oswalt.
After two innings he really settled in well and commanded his pitches, manager Charlie Manuel said. He ended up pitching pretty good.
Actually, the six weeks of rehab might have done more for Oswalt mentally than physically. Yes, he was able to alleviate the pain from the bulging disc in his back with an epidural injection, but he also was able to relax his mind when he got to the root of the issue. When the injury knocked him out of a game in St. Louis in late June, Oswalt didnt know if hed pitch again this year or even ever again. Certainly its been a crazy year for the 11-year veteran who also spent two weeks away from the team in order to help the recovery efforts at his home in Mississippi after tornadoes rampaged the area. Worse, it was the second time in as many years that tornadoes destroyed his familys property.
But a little time to mend the body and the mind certainly has served Oswalt well as he gears up for the final stretch of the regular season.
I feel a lot better, Oswalt said. I feel a lot better after telling you guys that I dont know if Im going to play or not.
I have a little bit of the season left, I just hope it doesnt come back by the end of the season. Who knows, I may play another three or four years.
Manuel noticed the difference in his pitcher, too.
Hes a different person, the manager said.
Meanwhile, Oswalt put his healthiness on display when he beat out a force play at second base. That little spark of hustle kept the third inning alive and allowed another run to cross the plate to give Oswalt all the cushion he needed.
That changed the inning, Manuel said.
Like I told Charlie, speed dont slump, Oswalt deadpanned.
At 78-41, the Phillies pushed their lead in the NL East to 8games thanks to the Cubs victory in Atlanta. The Phils and Nats are slated to play the rubber game of the series on Sunday afternoon if the weather cooperates. Roy Halladay (15-4, 2.51) will face Chien-Ming Wang (1-2, 3.60).
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com