Roy Oswalt Expects To Make Next Start After Suffering Neck Injury

A day after taking a Manny Ramirez line drive to the neck, Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt said that he doesn’t expect to miss a start. From MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki:

This is certainly the best-case scenario for the Phillies, who on Wednesday saw one of their four aces hit the ground after what first appeared to be a hit to the head. As of now, manager Charlie Manuel has Oswalt scheduled to make his season debut on Sunday, April 3rd against his former team, the Houston Astros.

Good news for Phillies fans. Shortly after pitcher Roy Oswalt left Wednesday’s Spring Training game against the Rays, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that the ball that came off Manny Ramirez’s bat didn’t fracture anything.

Oswalt was unable to get out of the way of Ramirez’s line drive (you can see video here), and while it first appeared as though he may have been struck in the head, the injury appears to be a bruised neck. Zolecki notes that Oswalt never felt dizzy or lost consciousness.

From Crossing Broad, here is video of the hit:

For more on Oswalt and the Phils, check out SB Nation’s Phillies blog, The Good Phight.