Admit it, even though you were kind of giddy when Ruben Amaro picked Roy Oswalt from Ed Wade’s pocket at the trade deadline, you still weren’t sure that the Phillies new No. 2 starter belonged in any discussions of the league’s top pitchers. After all, discussions of baseball’s top arms usually includes names like Sabathia, Halladay, Wainwright, and of course, Lee.

You read about Oswalt’s propensity to shut down the opposition in August, September, and even October when he was an Astro, but you tempered your expectations after realizing that those impressive playoff numbers were from 2004 and 2005. Those were the days when Cole Hamels was dominating hitters by day and breaking bones (in his own valuable left hand, unfortunately) at night in Clearwater, Florida.

Nonetheless, it was hard not to be excited. After all, in the eyes of every baseball analyst, the Phillies starting rotation (or at least the three arms at the top) was the best in baseball.

Then came Oswalt’s first start as a Phillie, and even though it was less than twenty-four hours after his arrival from the deep south, and with a catcher he had just met, his 8-1 loss to the last place Nationals still gave you that unsatisfied feeling. The kind of feeling you get when you go to a Panera with a huge appetite.

What’s happened since, however, has made you forget those bitter Cliff Lee thoughts and envision another season with Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels beginning or prolonging the offensive slumps of National League opponents.

In his first month as a Phillie, Oswalt is 4-1 with an ERA of 1.89. Take away that hurried first start against the Nationals, and those numbers go to 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA.

Maybe those late season statistics from years past weren’t a myth after all. With nearly 200 innings under his belt in 2010, Oswalt seems to be surging when it matters the most.

Isn’t it amazing what a pennant race can do for a terrific player freed from a losing atmosphere? The Phillies have now seen this phenomenon in two straight years with Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt.

With Oswalt, the move to a contender has already proven that this undersized, 33-year-old Mississippian plays to win.

In a crucial stretch of August baseball, we have seen him win with or without his best stuff. At times, his location has been Halladay-esque, but there have also been days like this week’s start against the Dodgers, when Oswalt simply dug deep and competed when the strike zone didn‘t seem as friendly. Firing a 95-mph fastball for a strikeout on his 90th pitch of the afternoon was something you see $15 million pitchers do.

What you don’t often see $15 million pitchers do are things like pinch hitting at crucial spots in late-season games, and substituting as a surprisingly slick left fielder. Oswalt is leaving little doubt that he is here to win.

And the best part is that he will be wearing a Phillies uniform for at least another full season, and possibly two.

Maybe this Ruben Amaro, Jr. guy learned a thing or two during those three years under Pat Gillick. After all, have you heard anyone describe former Phillie J.A. Happ using the word “untouchable” since Roy Oswalt arrived in town?

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Charlie Manuel doesn’t want any of his players worn down, especially at the beginning of September, with every game carrying more meaning and a playoff berth on the line. With all of that in mind, the Phillies manager rested starting catcher Carlos Ruiz for the second time in three games.

The Phillies are at the tail end of a stretch where they play 25 games in 24 days.

“I just gave Chooch a day,” Manuel said, using his catcher’s nickname. “I kind of have to watch him, because we still got 29 games to play. I definitely don’t want to wear him down.”

Ruiz, who is hitting .288 in 96 games this season, has been out of the starting lineup in four of the Phillies’ last eight games.

The blurry-eyed Philadelphia Phillies didn't mind that they wouldn't get a lot of shuteye after making their one-night stopover in Denver so worthwhile. Chase Utley drove in six runs and hit a grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh inning Thursday night as the Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Colorado Rockies 12-11 in a makeup of a May rainout.

David Wright homered, Johan Santana won for the first time in four starts and New York snapped Atlanta's five-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Thursday night. The Mets, who had dropped three straight, broke a 13-game stretch in which they scored three runs or less against the NL East-leading Braves.

If this were a perfect world, the Houston Astros would be entering September with a slate full of important…

With only one month left in the 162-game marathon that decides who makes the postseason, it’s time to examine and rank the starting pitchers that each of the National League contenders summon to the hill.

For our purposes, I have evaluated and ranked The Big Three (if you will) for each of the nine teams that are over .500 coming into September.

As baseball is a game of nines, nine teams qualified—even if I would not wager big money on the Dodgers or Marlins or the ever-befuddling Cardinals these days.

Why only The Big Three in these days of five-man rotations?  I’m glad you asked.

I’m thinking about this with the premise of each team making it to the postseason.  Although many teams still go with a four-man rotation in the playoffs, The Big Three of any team will pitch six out of seven games of any series that goes the distance.

In ranking The Big Three(s), I considered the pitchers 2010 statistics, their track record and their playoff history, or playoff cred.  I assigned each pitcher a score from 1-10, and posted a composite score for each three-man staff.

This is more art than science, and while assiduous research was done, no lab rats were injured in the process.

So, see where Halladay and Co.—or your favorite team’s staff—ranks, and then let the debates begin!

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Roy Oswalt has been one of baseball's most consistent winners down the stretch — which is exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies were bargaining for when they obtained him just before the July 31 trade deadline. Oswalt pitched one-hit ball into the seventh and the Phillies used leadoff homers by Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino in the first two innings to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on…

I am happy to say that I may have been wrong in writing off the Phillies.

Since I wrote that, the Phillies play improved greatly, and they fought their way back into contention. As September begins, they find themselves leading the wild card standings and trailing the Braves in the National League East by three games. With six games yet to play against the Braves, it is clear that the Phillies control their own playoff destiny.

Of course, just because they’re in a position to make the postseason, it doesn’t mean that they actually will. So how do the Phillies’ chances look heading into this stretch run?

Right now, the team’s biggest strength is their starting pitching. The rotation, bolstered by the addition of Roy Oswalt, has been performing very well. Oswalt, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels give the team an edge in just about every game they start. Joe Blanton has improved over the past month, and seems a good bet to at least keep the team in the game when he pitches. While fifth starter Kyle Kendrick has been much less reliable, he’s also pitched well enough at times to keep his starts from being automatic losses.

The bullpen seems to have stabilized somewhat recently. While he hasn’t been at the elite level of 2008, closer Brad Lidge has at least not been the disaster that he was in 2009 either. He seems to be an average major league closer at this point. He’ll get the job done the majority of the time, but he’ll blow a few saves along the way.

RYAN MADSON!!! has once again been excellent in his eighth inning setup role. The other relievers are less reliable, but considering how well the starters have done, there hasn’t been much need for them to pitch too much. They should be able to piece together enough successful innings from JC Romero, Chad Durbin, and Jose Contreras to get the job done.

Basically, the Phillies can count on their pitching giving them at least a chance to win on most nights. Which means that it is up to the offense to do it’s fair share.

The lineup has underachieved throughout the season. The Phillies have been one of the best offensive teams in baseball over the past few years, and most expected them to be a high scoring team again. Instead, they have struggled mightily, going through long stretches where they have had trouble scoring runs. They’ve been shut out 11 times so far, and on three different occasions, they’ve finished the game with only one hit.

Part of the problem has been injuries. Just about every regular player has spent time on the disabled list, and they’ve only had their expected lineup together for a handful of games. But as of September 1st, all of their regulars are back in the lineup.

Despite having a full roster, it might be a stretch to declare the team healthy as a few of their players don’t appear to be at full strength. Placido Polanco has admittedly suffered elbow pain for most of the season, and it might be wearing on him a bit. 

Something definitely seems to be wrong with Chase Utley. There was hope that the time he spent on the DL might actually help him, since he tends to wear down as the season progresses. But his hitting stroke doesn’t seem to be there. He seems to be hitting a lot of pop ups to the left side of the field, something that I don’t recall him ever doing much of before.

And Ryan Howard looks completely lost at the plate right now. Considering he’s typically a slow starter, it was to be expected that he might need some time to round back into shape after his stint on the DL. Still, he has looked unable to hit major league pitching since his return. Perhaps his home run on Tuesday night is a sign that he’s getting back on track. Since he’s carried the Phillies’ offense in September of recent years, they’ll need him to start hitting again quickly.

But despite their possible ailments, if these guys are playing, then they should be expected to perform at their usual high level. If they aren’t healthy enough to play well, then they shouldn’t be in the lineup.

The bottom line is that while injuries might have kept the Phillies from dominating up until this point, that is no longer a valid excuse. As manager Charlie Manuel recently said, “The lineup we have on the field tonight, that’s our lineup. If that lineup doesn’t hit, we’re in trouble.”

A postseason berth is waiting for the Phillies. If they can’t take it, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Originally posted in my blog: Stranger in a Strange Land

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