Oswalt Shakes Off the Rust in Rehab Start
By: Bryan Sheehan
After last night's performance in Lehigh Valley, it
looks like Roy Oswalt isn't as ready to return as he had thought. Oswalt
pitched a solid outing, going four innings and throwing 72 pitches (12 over the
projected limit of 60), while giving up one run and striking out four in the
process. Oswalt's only hit allowed came in the fourth inning, when he left a
2-0 changeup over the heart of the plate, giving Pawtucket hitter Lars Anderson
his 10th homerun of the season as he belted it over the right-field wall.
The good news for Oswalt, who threw 41 of his 72 pitches
for strikes, is that his outing was pain free, saying to reporters, "I
felt pretty good… I got [back to playing] quicker than I thought I would when I
first went on the DL."
Oswalt's velocity was down, with his fastball hovering at about
87-91 (his usual fastball is clocked around 93 mph). Oswalt said after the game
that his velocity “wasn’t as high as normal,” pointing out that he, “wasn’t
going to have [his] best stuff right out of the chute,” after a month off from
throwing.
Coming into the game, Oswalt had said that he only needed one
rehab start before coming back with the Phillies, but after his outing Oswalt
said that he would need another game or two before his return. That would put
his Philadelphia return between the first and sixth of August, when the
Phillies will be on a Western road trip, facing Colorado, San Francisco and Los
Angeles.
In other news from around the minor leagues, the IronPigs won
4-1 over Pawtucket, while the R-Phillies, Threshers and Crosscutters all lost,
(3-2; 6-1; 4-1 respectively). Placido Polanco will be rehabbing in Lehigh
Valley Thursday and Friday, as he eyes a possible return to the team on
Saturday against the Pirates.