DIDN'T KNOW DOC WAS ALSO A MECHANIC
WASHINGTON -- When reporters were allowed in the clubhouse, we found Roy Oswalt seated in what usually is Jamie Moyer's locker at Nationals Park. He was chatting with old friend Brad Lidge.
But most of Oswalt's new teammates have stayed away. It's an odd sort of circumstances. The pitcher is new to the team but it is customary to leave that night's starting pitcher alone. Rarely will a pitcher speak to anyone on his pitching days.
Charlie Manuel said it's probably best that Oswalt is pitching right away. He can forget about the usual distractions that come with switching teams and simply go right to work.
He will do that with the Phillies' regular shortstop back at his normal spot. Jimmy Rollins is leading off and playing short after missing the last three games with a bruised left foot. Rollins said he could hit Thursday night but couldn't play the field. He did some running early Friday and decided he was good enough to go.
The lineup behind Oswalt:
1. Jimmy Rollins SS
2. Placido Polanco 2B
3. Raul Ibanez LF
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Jayson Werth CF
6. Domonic Brown RF
7. Greg Dobbs 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz C
9. Roy Oswalt P
As usual, talk about the game here. Follow me on Twitter (@magelb) for updates.
Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.
This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.
Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.
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