Thursday night, Roy Oswalt was the Phillies' scheduled starter in a game against the Cardinals. And Oswalt did make the start, just as planned. But after two innings, four runs and 37 pitches, Oswalt was done, having been lifted with back pain.
Roy Oswalt Injury: Phillies Starter Leaves Game With Back Discomfort
The initial diagnosis was lower back tightness, and Jim Salisbury has more:
MRI for oswalt on Mon. Won't make next start. He's not sure when he will P again. He said he is a liability. Hurts walking pitching sleeping
It turns out that Oswalt’s back has been a problem for a while - just as many suspected. Thursday it just got worse. Oswalt went on the disabled list with a back injury earlier in the season. He returned on May 17, but over 44-1/3 innings since, he’s allowed 21 runs, walking 11 and striking out 21 while dealing with a lackluster fastball. In other words, while Oswalt was back with the Phillies, he wasn’t anywhere close to being himself.
Said Oswalt after Thursday’s game:
Oswalt said he continued to pitch through the problem because, “I don’t want to be labeled a quitter.” He said he realized during Thursday night’s brief outing that he “was not helping the team. I’m kind of a liability more than anything.”
Everyone will learn more following Oswalt’s MRI on Monday, and at that point the Phillies should have some idea how long he’ll be out. But Oswalt sounds pretty dejected, and given that back problems usually don’t just go away in a jiffy, the Phillies may not want to count on having Oswalt for quite a while, if ever. There does exist the chance, however slim, that Oswalt’s simply finished.
But we needn't get ahead of ourselves just yet. In the short-term, the Phillies will probably look for Kyle Kendrick to take Oswalt's next start. Kyle Kendrick isn't good, but then, neither has been the recent Roy Oswalt.
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