Oswalt's outing iffy; Utley, Ruiz play well in rehab game

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Catcher Carlos Ruiz felt no pain in his back Thursday night and expects to rejoin the Phillies Friday.

Second baseman Chase Utley felt no pain in his right knee, hit a line-drive home run and took another step toward returning to the big leagues.

But pitcher Roy Oswalt is more of a question mark, after not having his fastball at full speed and allowing seven hits in five innings as one of three Phillies regulars getting rehab work together in a 7-5 win for the Clearwater Threshers over the Palm Beach Cardinals.

"I felt pretty good. It was good to get out there," said Utley, who played second base for the first time since October. "I got three at-bats, was able to see some pitches . . . So far, so good."

Oswalt, on the disabled list with a sore back, left the stadium without speaking to reporters. He gave up a single on his first pitch, but his first 10 went for strikes.

Ruiz said Oswalt's fastball, typically around 93 to 94 mph, seemed closer to 89 or 90, so Oswalt relied more on off-speed pitches.

"I didn't see too much life in his fastball. I think the last innings were better, better location," Ruiz said. "The breaking ball was there, and he was throwing more off-speed today. The fastball didn't feel like his fastball was there. He said he felt OK."

Oswalt, who threw close his prescribed limit of 75 pitches, gave up seven hits, including two to third baseman Zack Cox, the Cardinals' first-round pick last year out of Arkansas. Three hits came in his final inning, including a triple that gave Palm Beach a 3-2 lead. Asked whether Oswalt was ready to return to the Phillies' rotation on Tuesday, Ruiz said he did not know.

Utley's home run - a fastball crushed down the rightfield line on the first pitch of the fifth inning - was the most encouraging sign, and it brought the Bright House Field crowd of 2,677, many wearing Utley jerseys, to its feet. But Utley also saw progress in little things, such as an eight-pitch walk in the first inning, testing his right knee with his first slide, and trying to leap over a runner to turn a doubleplay, even if the throw went wide and allowed a run to score.

"Everything's a test at this point," said Utley, who also left after the fifth, with Ruiz, and expects to play for Clearwater again Friday night, barring any complications. "I have to go out there and play like I have before and see how it goes. So far, it's gone well."

Asked whether he was ready for a return to the Phillies, Utley was cautious, saying he wants to be able to play a full game - perhaps a few in a row - before he tests himself in the majors.

"I still think there's a little bit more time," he said. "I have to work my way back into that. I have to be able to play nine innings before I can get up to the big leagues. Hopefully, we're going to take it step by step, and everything will be good."

Ruiz, who singled off the third baseman's glove and scored in the fourth, said he felt no pain in his back and hopes to rejoin the Phils Friday in Atlanta. Catcher Brian Schneider was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained left hamstring, so the Phillies need a healthy catcher.

"I feel very good. Great," Ruiz said. "I'm blocking, threw the ball to second base, moved around, running, swinging, everything was great. I'm happy with that. If I felt something, I would have stopped. I didn't feel anything. One hundred percent." *