Oswalt: Scouts taking notes
(c) Associated Press
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As scouts watched from the stands, Roy Oswalt dealt a one-hit shutout Thursday afternoon in a 2-0 triumph that hopefully improved the pitcher's trade value while completing a three-game sweep of the Pirates.
Lance Berkman may have also improved his trade value with a pair of solo homers for the only scoring of the game. He took Austin's Ross Ohlendorf deep in the first and fourth innings for his 11th and 12th home runs of the year and the 1,000th and 1,001st runs scored in Berkman's career. Shopping GMs may insist on getting the Crawford Boxes along with any trade for Berkman as flicking homers into Williamsport has been the key to his recent power surge.
Oswalt tossed a 117-pitch complete game in which he walked two, hit a batter and struck out eight. There wasn't any no-hit drama since Neil Walker's single came in the first inning. Perhaps the biggest scare came in the eighth when Oswalt's right hand was struck by Bobby Crosby's comebacker. After a few practice pitches as coaches and trainers watched, Oswalt decided to resume play and finished out the contest to win his 143rd career victory, one shy of the Astros' franchise record.
Don't look now but the Astros are within two games of Milwaukee for fourth place in the Central Division and the Cubs loom close in third place. Since May 31st, the Astros have been one game better than a .500 team, going 18-17.
Next on the schedule is Bud Norris' favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals, who have to be ecstatic about leaving Denver after the way the Rockies swept them. Norris (2-5, but 2-0 against the Redbirds) gets the ball for Friday's 7:05 Central contest against All-Star Adam Wainwright (12-5) in the weekend series that will lead us to the Break.
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