• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Oswalt tries to pitch Phils to NLCS in St. Louis

Oct 5, 2011 - 2:33 PM (Sports Network) - Roy Oswalt can pitch the Philadelphia Phillies into the National League Championship Series for the fourth straight year this evening when they try to close out the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS at Busch Stadium.

Often overlooked as the fourth of the Phillies' "Phour Aces", Oswalt is no stranger to the big stage and owns a 5-1 mark with a 3.39 earned run average in 12 playoff appearances (10 starts). St. Louis is well aware of his big game reputation, as Oswalt clinched the NL pennant for the Houston Astros against the Cardinals back in 2005.

"It's funny, six years later and I'm kind of in the same spot," said Oswalt, who went 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 23 starts this year. "I'm back in St. Louis and trying to move onto the next round."

The 34-year-old righty, who dealt with some back issues in the middle of the season, tossed seven scoreless innings to beat the Cardinals back on September 17, but is just 10-9 lifetime against them with a 3.19 ERA in 31 games, 30 of which have been starts.

"I feel like I can still compete," Oswalt said. "When you get to the point where you don't feel like you can compete, that's when you start doubting about pitching. I actually have a few more pitches than I did when I first started. I feel like I can do it another three or four or five years."

Philadelphia gained a 2-1 series lead in this best-of-five set on Tuesday, as Ben Francisco's pinch-hit, seventh-inning three-run home run snapped a scoreless contest and Ryan Madson recorded the final five outs in the 3-2 triumph in Game 3.

Cole Hamels (1-0) worked six scoreless innings, allowed five hits and walked three batters, but despite fanning eight, the lefty labored at times thanks to throwing 117 pitches.

"Yeah, it's just -- it was a tight game. I knew that every pitch mattered, every inning mattered," Hamels said about how his previous postseason experience allowed him to grind it out on the mound. 'They had a great pitcher on the opposing team, so I knew that I couldn't let it get out of hand, especially with just the way we were 1-1 in the series. We're not in our home park anymore. You definitely focus and try to dig deep a little bit more."

Madson came on to diffuse a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the eighth by inducing an inning-ending double-play ball off the bat of Allen Craig. He served up a two-out RBI single to Yadier Molina in the ninth, but recovered to retire Ryan Theriot on a grounder to second to earn his first save of this postseason.

Albert Pujols finished 4-for-5 with three doubles, and David Freese knocked in a run for the Cardinals, who are one loss from elimination after stranding 14 runners.

"It's not going to be easy, but who said in baseball that things are easy?" said Pujols, who is a .302 career hitter off of Oswalt.

Jaime Garcia (0-1) was tagged in defeat for three runs on six hits over seven full frames. The left-hander was cruising until Francisco opened the scoring.

Tonight the Cardinals will turn to righty Edwin Jackson, who was 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) for St. Louis after being acquired from Chicago.

"It's definitely a better situation, when you have something to play for ... and the last two years, I've been traded and it's been to a playoff-contending team," said Jackson, who was dealt from Arizona to the White Sox last season.

Jackson's only faced the Phillies one time and surrendered five runs and eight hits in five innings in that outing last season. He did face them in relief in the 2008 World Series, though, and gave up a run and two hits in two innings of work.

"They have a lot of depth in the lineup, and there's really no easy outs," Jackson said. "You just have to go out and be aggressive, but at the same time, you can't give them too much credit. You have to have confidence in your pitches, and at the end of the day, either you get it done or you don't -- there's no in between."

St. Louis won six of its nine meetings with the Phillies this season, including three of the five matchups in the Gateway City.