Oswalt targeting Tuesday return, plus other pre-game fodder
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Oswalt targeting Tuesday return, plus other pre-game fodder
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Greetings from Sun Life Stadium, where there is usually far more Sun than Life. Lots of notes to cover. A more expansive version will be in tomorrow's paper:
1) The Phillies have tentatively penciled in Roy Oswalt as the Tuesday starter next week in St. Louis. The veteran righthander threw a bullpen session yesterday and responded well. He'll throw off the mound again tomorrow. Assuming all goes well, he will make a rehab start on Thursday, likely in Clearwater, before re-joining the team in Atlanta. Oswalt will then be activated from the disabled list and start against the Cardinals on Tuesday, exactly three weeks after his last start in Arizona.
2) Oswalt could end up throwing to his regular catcher on Thursday, as Carlos Ruiz is expected to head to Clearwater this week to continue rehabbing his back. He took some swings in the cage today. The Phillies will try to get him in a game this week, although nothing has been announced.
3) The Phillies could have started Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley on Friday. Instead, they will start neither. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said this afternoon that he is planning on using Thursday's day off to start Cole Hamels on Friday against the Braves on normal rest. He'll be followed by Joe Blanton on Saturday and Roy Halladay on Sunday. Cliff Lee will then face the Cardinals on Monday, followed by Oswalt. And with that, the Phillies will be back in order.
4) Jose Contreras continues to play catch. No word on when he will throw his first bullpen session. Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that Contreras remains on his initial prognosis, which called for a three-to-four-week absence. Dubee labelled his progress "dandy" today.
5) Ross Gload is in the line-up in right field in place of Ben Francisco, who is hitting .190 with four extra base hits 26 games after starting the season hitting .357 with four extra base hits in his first seven games. Gload is 16-for-38 with three doubles, two triples and a home run against Marlins starter Javier Vazquez.
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Since the team is in such a hitting funk with men on, good for Ross getting a start.It is a shame that the pitchers cannot get more than an ave. of 3 runs a game or the Phils would be ahead by 6 games or more at this point.— Koons- Perfect timing for D. Brown to be getting healthy. No one in right is ripping it up. He just might come up and take the spot as we all hoped he would!— andrewc23
- For the know it all's abusing Oswalt on the radio for leaving the Phillies to tend to his family, my sister in law's town was completely destroyed. High school gone, her HS principal and 6 others dead, that part of Georgia and Tennessee flattened. Say a prayer for the guy— Blue Hens Rule
- We know Cholly's not that innovative, but 5 Lefties in a row? Who do the Fish have as Southpaws out of the Bullpen that we'll see real soon?— tomvallar
- I'll take Gload in RF with subpar defense any day of the week right now, given our offensive output with Francisco.— eman
- Hopefully his head is in the game— shawnmac
