Oswalt hoping to get Phillies to Game 7
Phillies starting pitcher Roy Oswalt throws during the eighth inning of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants. (Oct. 17, 2010) Credit: AP
PHILADELPHIA - Astros owner Drayton McLane presented Roy Oswalt a bulldozer for beating the Cardinals in Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series.
Heavy earth-moving equipment is not a typical token of appreciation, but in that case, Oswalt won a bet with McLane, who pledged to swap the bulldozer for that crucial victory.
Roughly 24 hours before Saturday's critical NLCS Game 6 matchup with the Giants - with the start time dependent on the ALCS Game 6 outcome Friday night - the Phillies' ownership group had yet to make any wagers with Oswalt. But with the defending NL champions facing elimination, it's not the kind of game that calls for much additional motivation.
This is Oswalt's first postseason since that 2005 trip with the Astros, who wound up losing the World Series to the White Sox, and he doesn't want it to end Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
"Five years later, you realize how difficult it is to get back to this situation," said Oswalt, who will oppose the Giants' Jonathan Sanchez. "So you try to treat it as it's maybe the last time . . . So when you are here, you try to do everything possible when you're here."
That came into play Wednesday night during Game 4 when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel opted for the unorthodox move of using Oswalt for the ninth inning with the score tied at 5.
Oswalt had been 5-0 in 10 previous playoff appearances and had handled the Giants easily in Game 2.
With the Phillies' bullpen taxed, Oswalt volunteered for the ninth, but that strategy backfired. After a pair of singles, Juan Uribe's sacrifice fly pushed the Phillies to the brink of elimination.
A concern is the impact that surprise appearance could have on his Game 6 start. Oswalt threw only 18 pitches in the ninth, but that was after warming up, and after a 20-minute side session earlier that day.
If Oswalt does get the Phillies to a Game 7, Manuel was unsure if his other Roy - Halladay - would be able to contribute even an inning of relief. Halladay suffered a groin strain during the second inning of Game 5, and although he told Manuel he should be ready if the Phillies advance to the World Series, that might be it for the NLCS.
"I think we'll have to wait and see," Manuel said.
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