Phillies Notes: No nostalgia as Oswalt faces his ex-team

Facing the Houston Astros for the first time in his career on Sunday will not create much nostalgia for Roy Oswalt. For one, most of his old teammates are no longer on the team with which he spent more than nine seasons. And, Oswalt said, no matter whom he faces the objective is unaffected: win.

"I don't see color when I pitch," Oswalt said.

Still, the 33-year-old righthander conceded there will be some strangeness to this. Last opening weekend, he was pitching for Houston against the Phillies and Roy Halladay.

At his restaurant in Weir, Miss., Oswalt has a bunch of Astros stuff hanging up. (Soon, he hopes to have a picture of the Phillies rotation to display there.) Those friends he once converted from Atlanta fans to Astros ones are now Phillies diehards.

He even likes the red cleats he wears with the Phillies. Actually, he bought a pair of red tennis shoes, too.

During the winter, he kept in touch with Houston owner Drayton McLane, who is close to selling the team. Oswalt did some fraternizing during batting practice Saturday.

"You don't wish anything bad for the organization," Oswalt said. "You hope it's going back to where it was."

Oddly, the Astros gave out Oswalt's No. 44 this offseason to former Phillies farmhand Sergio Escalona. Oswalt was asked if he thought that was strange and just chuckled.

"They don't have Joe Niekro's number retired either, and he's got the most wins," Oswalt said. "I don't know what they go on."

Former Phillies lefthander J.A. Happ will not make his scheduled start against his old teammates Sunday. Bud Norris will start in his place. 

The Astros decided to give Happ a couple of extra days to heal a strained muscle in his right side. The injury occurred during Tuesday's game against triple-A Oklahoma City. Happ left the game after three innings. He suffered a similar injury in 2009.

"I know he used to be with Philly, and he's got a lot of excitement about going against his old teammates, but the smart thing is to give him a couple more days," Houston manager Brad Mills said. "If something happened to him [Sunday], I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

Following Friday's game, Happ said he was ready to pitch. Happ went to Houston last July in the deal for Oswalt. He returned to Citizens Bank Park to beat the Phillies, 3-2, on Aug. 25.

"It's their decision," Happ said. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed."

The Phillies released Matt Anderson, who was signed to a minor-league deal this winter. The former No. 1 overall pick was attempting a comeback and last pitched in the majors in 2005.

Jesse Biddle, the Phillies' first-round pick in 2010, will begin his first full professional season at single-A Lakewood. Other notable starting spots for some minor-leaguers: righthander Phillippe Aumont, double-A Reading; first-baseman-turned-leftfielder Jonathan Singleton, single-A Clearwater; righthander Justin De Fratus, Reading; pitcher-turned-first-baseman Joe Savery, Clearwater; and first baseman Matt Rizzotti, Reading.

Ben Francisco batted fifth as manager Charlie Manuel split up Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez against the lefthander Wandy Rodriguez. Manuel said he could do that regularly against lefties. . . . The Phillies overcame a four-run deficit on opening day for the first time in 106 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. On April 14, 1905, the Phillies trailed Brooklyn by 4-0 before winning, 12-8.