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Phillies-Marlins Preview

Aug 5, 2010 - 5:01 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Philadelphia (58-48) at Florida (53-53), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Roy Oswalt's debut with the Philadelphia Phillies was a disappointment, but the three-time All-Star expects better thing in his second start for the reigning NL champions.

Considering his recent track record against the Florida Marlins, perhaps he shouldn't.

The Marlins have hit Oswalt hard the last three times they've matched up, but they'll be fighting to avoid a three-game sweep Thursday night as visiting Philadelphia tries to win for the 12th times in 14 games.

Already with Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels atop their rotation, the Phillies (59-48) acquired Oswalt (6-13, 3.53 ERA) from Houston figuring they could boast perhaps the majors' toughest trio of starters.

Oswalt's debut performance certainly wasn't what Philadelphia was hoping for as it tries to make a fourth consecutive postseason run. He surrendered five runs and 11 baserunners over six innings in an 8-1 loss at Washington on Saturday.

"I came out amped up, held the ball a little tight," said Oswalt, the majors' only pitcher with more than 11 losses. "Didn't really start feeling better until the last two innings. Didn't really go my way."

Oswalt is 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in three outings since the All-Star break.

"I think the next start will be a little better tuned," he said.

There's hardly a guarantee of that happening against the Marlins (53-54), who have had Oswalt's number since 2008. After going 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA in his first nine starts versus Florida, he's 0-2 with an 11.40 ERA in his past three, surrendering five homers in 15 innings.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is 10 for 22 with two homers against Oswalt. Ramirez, however, is hitting .162 (6 for 37) over his last nine games.

The Phillies haven't had any problems offensively so far in August, even with Ryan Howard on the disabled list. Rookie Domonic Brown drove in three and Raul Ibanez added two RBIs as Philadelphia chased Anibal Sanchez in the fifth inning of Wednesday's 7-2 win.

"I'm just trying to take it one step at a time, that's it," said Brown, who's 6 for 22 (.273) since being called up from Triple-A.

Chris Volstad (5-8, 4.71) tries to help the Marlins avoid a fourth straight loss while building on his first win since June 13. The right-hander allowed seven hits and walked three over five innings Friday at San Diego, but yielded only two runs in a 4-2 victory.

"It feels like it's been a while," Volstad told the team's official website. "After the first (inning), I just got a little bit more aggressive with my fastball. I got two double plays and ground ball outs in those middle innings. That's really my game."

Volstad is 0-3 with a 4.07 ERA in four home starts against Philadelphia, but he'd much rather pitch at Sun Life Stadium than Citizens Bank Park. Volstad has a 3.65 ERA at home, nearly two-and-a-half runs lower than his road performance.

Most importantly, he won't have to worry about Howard. The injured All-Star is 9 for 20 with five homers against Volstad.

Ibanez, hitting .393 with 14 RBIs since the All-Star break, is 6 for 14 with two homers versus Volstad. Jayson Werth, who snapped an 0-for-24 skid in Florida with a ninth-inning single Wednesday, is 1 for 14 with seven strikeouts.