NLDS Game 4 Notes: Oswalt vs. Jackson

Phillies vs. Cardinals, 6:07 p.m. on TBS

Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Roy Oswalt (9-10, 3.69 ERA). Oswalt will take the ball for the Phillies in Game 4 against the Cardinals. He'll have the opportunity to send the Phillies to the NLCS with a win in St. Louis. Last time he faced the Cards, Sept. 17, Oswalt pitched seven shutout innings (See story).

Cardinals: Edwin Jackson (12-9, 3.79 ERA). Jackson will have the responsibility of getting the Cardinals back to Philadelphia for a Game 5. He did not face the Phillies in 2011, however, and only recorded one win in the month of September in six starts. That said, he did not record a loss.

Previous games
The Phillies took Game 1 of this series 11-6. They surrendered a 4-0 lead in Game 2 to lose 5-4. The Phillies defeated the Cardinals 3-2 in Game 3 on the strength of a three-run pinch hit home run by Ben Francisco.
Here's our Phillies coverage from last night:
Jim Salisbury on Francisco's big home run.
John Gonzalez on the "Francisco Treat".
John Finger on the bullpen's shaky night.

Head-to-head
The Phillies finished the regular season 3-6 against the Cardinals. That included a four game September series in which the Cardinals won three of four.

Who's hot?
Phillies leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins is hitting .583 in the postseason with three doubles, five runs scored, and two stolen bases. Chase Utley has also found his swing in this series since moving to the second spot in the lineup. Utley is hitting .400 with two doubles.

Storylines
With Roy Oswalt on the mound, the Phillies are in perfect position to set their pitching rotation for the NLCS if they can close out the series tonight. Oswalt's last playoff start in St. Louis was a seven inning victory that sent the Astros to the 2005 World Series.