Oswalt hit near ear by liner, walks off

Knocked to the ground by a line drive to the neck, Roy Oswalt stayed down for nearly a minute. Then, he rose to his feet and walked off the mound on his own.

That was a good sign for the Philadelphia Phillies. The team felt even better after X-rays revealed Manny Ramirez's liner that hit Oswalt behind the right ear left nothing beyond a bruise the team says may not prevent him from making his next scheduled start.

"He's all right. X-rays said he's all right," manager Charlie Manuel said yesterday. "When he got up he was OK."

The defending NL East champions said the 33-year-old righthander did not lose consciousness and was not dizzy before leaving in the fourth inning of a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Oswalt fell to the ground and remained there until Manuel and a trainer reached the mound. He eventually got up and walked to the visiting clubhouse in the rightfield corner, receiving a standing ovation from some of the Rays, as well as the crowd in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Salazar returns

Atlanta Braves minor-league manager Luis Salazar returned to camp, two weeks after being struck in the face by a foul ball and losing his left eye. Salazar was standing on the top step of the dugout.

"I'm very fortunate to be alive," Salazar said. "God gave me a second chance in this life, and I'm going to take advantage of it."

He hopes to join his Class A Lynchburg team in April near the start of the Carolina League season. -- AP