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The Texas Rangers had Roy Oswalt throw a bullpen session for them on Friday, revealing the Rangers as the another team that saw him pitch.

In the last two weeks, Oswalt has thrown for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox.

Ken Rosenthal revealed that Oswalt threw for Texas, but reportedly, the Rangers are still not sold on the idea of adding the veteran:

Sources: Oswalt threw for #Rangers yesterday. Rangers’ issue same as it was in off-season: Oswalt wants to start and they don’t have need…

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 19, 2012

 

Not only is there not a need for him in the starting staff, but there’s also no need for Oswalt in the bullpen. They have a deep bullpen that will be able to hold up over the season without Oswalt.

Rosenthal speculated on a possible scenario to get Oswalt into the starting rotation, stating that the Rangers “could create room for Roy O by moving Lewis. No indication they are considering it. No guarantee Oswalt would be better than Lewis.”

This might be the only way that Oswalt finds a spot on the Rangers, and even this is highly speculative. The chances that Oswalt lands in Texas are becoming slimmer and slimmer with every day that passes.

It is only a matter of time before Oswalt is pitching at the MLB level; it likely will not be with the Rangers, however.

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Talk about beating a dead horse, right?

Just when I was fully prepared to turn the page on the whole Roy Oswalt coming to Boston notion, the Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo had to lure me back into the saga.

I’m like Michael Corleone, just when I thought I was out…

The reality is, even if fans are growing tired of hearing that Oswalt might, could, should, is thinking about, wants to, doesn’t want to, wants to pull a Clemens, thinks he might want to join the Red Sox, fans should pay attention.

For all of the faults that many have come up with as to why the team should not sign him at this point: age, decreased K/9, increased ERA – what have you, he is still one hell of a solid pitcher.

Furthermore, at this point, he is going to be a lot more affordable than if the team sought to sign him at the beginning of free agency, where he likely could have demanded $14 million.

Now, Oswalt can likely be had for around $7 million to be the fifth starter on this roster.  Think about that for a second.

Roy Oswalt as the FIFTH starter for the Red Sox.

Does that not tighten up the starting five to a point where the Red Sox pitching staff could be mentioned in the same conversation as the Angels, Yankees, Phillies and Rays?

I feel that it does.

True, the man that many believe to be the fourth starter, Daniel Bard, is still relatively unproven, his numbers this spring have been inspiring. Of course, you can say that he hasn’t had to pitch many innings or throw that many pitches, I get it.

The point is, with the addition of Oswalt, the Red Sox go from being a team that others have laughed at for their “penny pinching” ways of signing plenty of reclamation projects, to now having potentially the deepest core of starting pitchers in the Majors.

“Oh, Oswalt needs to skip a couple of starts?  No sweat, let’s throw Ross Ohlendorf in there.”  Perhaps, “Jon Lester bruised his thumb, give Aaron Cook the ball.”

You get my point.

Inevitably this saga will come to an end.  Hopefully sooner than later. Personally, I can’t take much more of this. With the Red Sox being the only team that appears to still have any interest in Oswalt, this could mean for some very good news for Sox fans by the end of the month.

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The Texas Rangers were long-regarded as an offensive-minded ball-club, built upon the strength of their lineup, with pitching generally seeming like an afterthought. 

Since Nolan Ryan took control of the franchise however, the emphasis on building a deep, talented pitching staff has become a priority.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the Rangers have experienced more success in the last two seasons than they had throughout their entire history up to 2010. Beginning in 1961 as the Washington Senators, the franchise had only experienced three playoff series, losing in the first round in 1996, ’98 and ’99, before their two-consecutive AL pennants over the last two seasons.

Still an offensive powerhouse, Texas has taken a more balanced approach to building their roster, focusing as much on pitching and defense as on the strength of their lineup. There are few one-dimensional players on the squad these days, a welcome change from seasons past.

After two straight years of incredible success, the pitching staff finds itself in a state of transition, though many of the primary contributors remain the same.

They signed Joe Nathan to bolster the rear of their bullpen, in hope that one-time uber-prospect Neftali Feliz can become the ace they have long envisioned. Their ace of the last two years, reliever-turned-starter C.J. Wilson, has moved on to their fierce rivals in Anaheim, preferring to move home to Orange County once he became a free agent.

Texas will gamble again on transitioning a reliever to the starting rotation, something which they’ve had great success with over the last few years, first with Wilson, then with Alexi Ogando last season.

Also, their dramatic leap into the international player market was one of potential great reward, as they signed perhaps the most-touted Japanese pitcher ever in Yu Darvish. His professional resume in Japan is stellar and they’re gambling big that he can replicate his success in Major League Baseball.

Alongside Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, the Rangers’ principal owner, Texas has established a formidable brain trust with an intimate knowledge of pitching. Their pitching coach Mike Maddux is one of the more respected at his profession in the league, able to impart a vast array of knowledge and experience upon his staff.

His brother, future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, one of the greatest pitchers in recent decades, will now serve as a front office consultant to GM Jon Daniels.

With such an impressive group of pitching minds involved in the construction and management of their staff, the Texas Rangers are in good hands when it comes to matters of the mound. 

As they prepare to decide upon their starting staff for the 2012 season, faced with an excess of talented arms, let’s look at the primary contenders who will be vying for the five slots in their rotation.

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The St. Louis Cardinals are poised to strengthen their starting rotation by signing veteran free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt. The 34-year-old right-handed pitcher is reportedly close to a deal with the 2011 World Series Champions.

Update: Saturday, January 28 at 2:25 p.m. EST

According to MLB.com, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has denied reports that say his team is close to a deal with free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt.

Reached by email, Mozeliak wrote that reports were “not true,” but did not elaborate. Another club official indicated that no transactions seemed to be imminent for the Cardinals.

Update: Saturday, January 28 at 12:10 p.m. EST

According to CBS Sports, Oswalt turned down a big contract offer from the Detroit Tigers, and has decided to focus on signing with a Southern team. The offer from the Tigers was reportedly one year at $10 million. Oswalt doesn’t need the money at this stage of his career, and would be best served joining a contender in a place he’s comfortable living in.

Update: Saturday, January 28 at 9:10 a.m. EST

ESPN Boston is reporting that Roy Oswalt is close to a contract agreement with the Cardinals, but the deal is not done yet.

Free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt has elected to remain in the National League and is likely to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals “soon,” a major league source said late Friday night.

Presumably, any agreement would be pending a physical for Oswalt, who has a history of back problems.

“It’s not yet 100 percent,” the source said.

Free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt has reportedly agreed to a contract with the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, a source told Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.

Oswalt, 34, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2010 season from the Houston Astros, and went 9-10 last season with a 3.69 ERA for the NL East champs.

What Does This Mean?

This is an excellent signing for the Cardinals, who lost superstar first baseman Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels through free agency earlier this offseason.

Oswalt is not the elite starting pitcher he used to be, but he is more than capable of performing well in the NL Central division, which doesn’t have any dominating lineups other than the Milwaukee Brewers.

With starter Adam Wainwright missing all of last season with an elbow injury, Oswalt adds more depth to the Cardinals rotation. You can never have enough pitching, and the Cardinals were wise to target Oswalt to strengthen their rotation.

St. Louis will hope that Oswalt, who has a history of back problems, can be healthy for the entire 2012 season. He started 23 games last season for the Phillies.

What’s Next?

The Phillies still have good depth in their starting rotation following Oswalt’s departure. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are three of the better pitchers in baseball, but Philly would be smart to sign some low-cost, low-risk starters before spring training to battle for Oswalt’s place in the rotation.

This deal also affects the Boston Red Sox, who reportedly offered Oswalt a contract in an effort to bolster their rotation. The poor play of starters Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey were the primary reason Boston collapsed in September and missed the playoffs.

ESPN Boston has reported that the Red Sox are likely reengaged in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox regarding starter Gavin Floyd.

Oswalt was one of the last notable starting pitchers available on the free-agent market, which means teams looking to add quality starters before spring training will have to do so via trade.

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With the additions of Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda, the New York Yankees have solidified their starting rotation for the 2012 season. These two additions have given the Yanks a very formidable starting rotation, including CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. A rotation that once lacked depth behind Sabathia now arguably has one of the better No. 2 through 4 starters in MLB.

Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have taken a different approach this offseason. With many big contracts already in place, general manager Ben Cherington has looked for value from players that may outproduce their contract. The additions of Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon allowed Cherington to replace the back end of the Sox bullpen without increasing payroll significantly.

These moves have allowed the Sox to potentially move both Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves to the starting rotation. The Red Sox made some depth moves by signing Aaron Cook and Carlos Silva.

While Cherington’s moves have been creative and resourceful, there can still be moves made to improved the Sox pitching staff. Free agent Roy Oswalt could potentially be the answer to fill the holes in the roster.

As Buster Olney recently wrote, Oswalt is seeking a one-year deal around $8 million so that he can rebuild his reputation as a top starter. Before the 2011 season, Oswalt was considered one of the best starters in Major League Baseball. He consistently posted 3 to 4 WAR seasons with a 3.35 career FIP.

But last season was different for the right-hander as he dealt with back problems throughout the year. Despite that, Oswalt started showing signs at the end of the year that he is still one of the better pitchers in the league.

With the addition of Oswalt, the Sox would gain flexibility within their pitching staff. Bard is a large question mark as to how effective he can be as a starter and how many innings he can be stretched out to. Also, Alceves may be more valuable to the Red Sox in the role he was in last season than as a starter. Oswalt would allow the Sox to move one of the two back to the pen, creating a back end of the bullpen potentially better than the 2011 version.

The largest obstacle that could potentially block the Sox from acquiring Oswalt is the current financial obligations already in place. There are several reports that put the Red Sox at or around the luxury tax threshold. As recently as yesterday, there were mentions that the Sox were unable to afford Kuroda at the $10 million price he signed with the Yankees.

While the Red Sox have been extremely cost conscientious this offseason, the addition of Oswalt could pay major dividends this season. In today’s MLB, $8 million is not a lot of money for a team to commit. Cherington and co. may likely consider other low-cost options, but they must also consider if a player like Oswalt can put their team over the top without the long-term commitment attached. 

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After relentlessly attempting to land local product Gio Gonzalez and add another established pitcher to the rotation, the Marlins are forced to look elsewhere as the division rival Washington Nationals augmented their rotation with another young arm. 

It was disappointing for the Marlins because, in this particular case, they were willing to deal their top prospects, a change of times for a franchise who usually keeps and molds their farm system and deals their established starting players. 

The Oakland Athletics asked the Marlins for either Logan Morrison or Mike Stanton in a package deal for Gio Gonzalez and the team has deemed both “untouchable”. 

So where does the team go from here? 

The current rotation of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Ricky Nolasco, and Anibal Sanchez has an array of question marks to the point that it might not even be within the top 3 in the crowded NL East.

The trade market currently consists of Wade Davis (Rays), Gavin Floyd (White Sox), Matt Garza (Cubs), Wandy Rodriguez (Astros), and Carlos Zambrano (Cubs). 

The Marlins could easily obtain Davis, Rodriguez or Zambrano in different ways. If they want Wade Davis (26), they’d have to part with Gaby Sanchez which will only happen if the team successfully signs Yoenis Cespedes so that Morrison can reclaim his former position at first base.  

To get Wandy Rodriguez (32), the Marlins would have to eat up the grand majority of his contract (three years/$36 million) and deal a solid return. But considering they wanted C.J. Wilson, this is a possibility. Rodriguez went 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA but his strikeout rate has steadily declined since 2008. 

To get Carlos Zambrano (30), the Marlins wouldn’t have to deal much as the Cubs would eat up most of the $18 million owed to him in 2012. The team would likely have to part with pitcher Chris Volstad to get a deal done. Zambrano essentially would be a reclamation project with the hopes he can regain his footing as top-of-the-rotation guy. 

As for Matt Garza or Gavin Floyd, the package would have to be within the ranks of the Gio Gonzalez deal. The Marlins will probably steer clear of Garza (10-10, 3.32 ERA) considering the package the Cubs would seek for their 28-year-old with only one year of control left. Gavin Floyd (12-13, 4.37 ERA), Ozzie’s former pitcher with the White Sox, would be an intriguing option but the “rebuilding” White Sox could seek a huge return for their 28-year-old pitcher. 

On the other hand, the free agent market consists of Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda, Roy Oswalt, Joe Saunders and Javier Vazquez.  Out of these, Vazquez has said and continues to hold firm on his stance on retiring and, at this point, why force a guy back when he truly doesn’t want to return?

Joe Saunders and Hiroki Kuroda make little sense because of age in Kuroda’s case (36) or pitching ability in Saunders’ case (soft-throwing left-hander, which the Marlins have in Mark Buehrle). 

Edwin Jackson seeks a multi-year deal with agent Scott Boras in tow, and the Marlins won’t go down that road with a pitcher of similar ability in Ricky Nolasco, who floundered last season. 

As for Roy Oswalt, it wouldn’t be a bad decision to sign him, as he seeks a one-year deal. But can the Marlins afford to add another question mark, as Oswalt suffered through back issues last season? 

You can bet the Marlins are going to add one more pitcher, but who is it? That’s yet to be seen, but the team has to do whatever it takes to keep up with the pitching ranks in the NL East. The Marlins arguably may have the best lineup in the division, but the starting rotation thirsts for one more ace to make the team a serious contender. 

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According to a multitude of reporters, the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to terms with shortstop Jimmy Rollins on a three-year, $33 million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year worth the same. Rollins, the team’s longest-tenured member, seemingly waned from his previous demands of a five-year deal or a four-year contract with a fifth-year player option.

That’s great for the team, considering that Rollins doesn’t have five years left in the tank.

With Rollins back, this spells a few things. First and foremost, Freddy Galvis will not start for the Phillies anytime soon. He’ll be stuck in Triple-A Lehigh Valley for the next three or four years, yet he’ll still be only 24 years old should Rollins’ new contract stand for four years and call for Galvis to start following its conclusion.

Then again, the Phillies could also use Galvis as a trade chip in any sort of deal should one be necessary next July or even sometime in the next few years. His defense is superb and his offense is gradually improving, and should it climb even higher next season, he’ll be a hot commodity.

Whether Dontrelle Willis’ signing with the team was a courtship to bring Rollins back to the City of Brotherly Love is a question for another time, but it sure helps nevertheless. However, the biggest question remaining in the minds of Phillies fans is this: will the team extend Cole Hamels next?

Until Vance Worley worked himself into the Phillies rotation, Hamels was the team’s last homegrown player in the starting rotation as well as the rotation’s youngest member, which consisted of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Hamels, and Joe Blanton on Opening Day of last season.

All of those pitchers were acquired via trades or free agent signings except Hamels, and all were at least 30 years old except Hamels.

Now that Hamels is one of the premier starting southpaws in the game, it begs the question: what will it take for the team to keep him beyond next season?

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. stated in an interview with NBC HardBallTalk’s Craig Calcaterra at last week’s Winter Meetings that the team would like to keep Hamels a lifelong Phillie, but that re-signing Rollins was his priority. Now that that’s come to pass, how much will Hamels extension talks heat up?

Hamels’ career numbers have been compared to those of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ace Jered Weaver, who signed a five-year, $85 million extension with his team late last season. But with Hamels being a lefty, his value automatically increases. and the fact that he’s an ace drives it up even further.

It’s been said that Hamels should command an extension comparable to Weaver’s, but with Hamels being one of the best starters in the 2013 free agent class alongside Matt Cain and Zack Greinke, he could command even more, possibly becoming a $20 million-a-year player.

There’s little doubt that Hamels will attain at least five years from the Phillies in an extension, but the price he’ll come at if extended is vague. Will he take a hometown discount and sign for an extension around the price of Weaver’s, or will he demand a contract worth an amount similar to one he’d make in free agency?

If the Phillies sign Hamels to an extension with an average annual value worth over $20 million, they would be the first team in major league history to have three starting pitchers on their roster making over $20 million a season. Will they offer that kind of contract to their organizational gem, or will they let the season play out first?

If I were Ruben Amaro, Jr., I’d lock him up now. He’s vastly improved since his 2009 fall and will continue to do so should he stay on his current track. If he does even better next year, imagine the money he’ll command in free agency next year. If the team wants to remain young and competitive beyond next year, they need to lock Hollywood Hamels up before it’s too late.

Here’s hoping Amaro knows what he’s doing.

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With baseball’s winter meetings poised to begin in Dallas on Monday, the rumor mill is already heating up. 

Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have scheduled a meeting with agent Bob Garber. Garber is the agent who represents both C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt. Oswalt and Wilson are two of the highest profile free agent pitchers on the market this winter.

The Red Sox promise to be among the most active of teams in the coming weeks. The recent hiring of Bobby Valentine as manager brings a final completion of the restructuring of the general manager and managerial position.

With those positions filled, the Red Sox can begin the process of trying to find answers for the numerous questions raised both by the poor play last September and the spate of rumors involving clubhouse discord and apathy that emerged in the aftermath of the team’s collapse. Add to that the departure of veteran closer Jonathan Papelbon and an injury to John Lackey that will require him to miss the entire 2012 season, and the Red Sox have plenty of work laid out in front of them.

Oswalt and Wilson would both be high-profile and high-cost solutions to the pitching problems that plagued the Red Sox down the stretch in 2011, as well as throughout parts of the 2010 and 2009 seasons.

The Red Sox starting rotation has been a mysterious mix of both talent and inconsistency over the past few seasons. Talented pitchers such as John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka seem to under perform. Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz have problems staying consistently healthy and even Jon Lester was rumored to be fatigued down the stretch last season.

Under former GM Theo Epstein, high-profile, big-ticket free agents were rarely the answer to when it came to problems on the Red Sox. Bringing either of these pitchers would elicit an avalanche of well-deserved skepticism.

Oswalt has had a very good career, but he’s never pitched in the American League. His health has been an issue the past few seasons and his walks and hits allowed were both higher than his career averages last season.

Wilson would bring a different set of questions with him to Boston. While his numbers as a starting pitcher have been quite good, his overall body of work is only two seasons. He’s had difficulty pitching in the postseason and pitching in the American League West means he gets to face some of the American League’s weakest offenses frequently. Whether Wilson is good or not, there’s no question at all that New York, Toronto and Baltimore are tougher teams to face off against with regularity than Oakland, Los Angeles and Seattle are.

There’s almost no question that the Red Sox will have some new faces in the starting rotation next year. Oswalt or Wilson would both represent high-profile and high-cost solutions. On the plus side, both pitchers are free agents, which means that signing them will not require the Red Sox to part with any of their promising young players.

The Winter Meetings don’t start for another two days, but the Red Sox are already showing a willingness to wheel and deal.

It should be an interesting week.  

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In Friday night’s series opener against the Florida Marlins, Roy Oswalt pitched four innings of no-hit baseball and looked magnificent. After allowing a solo home run to Logan Morrison to lead off the fifth inning, he still pitched well, allowing only one more run through six innings of work.

However, at the start of the seventh inning, something was wrong.

Roy Oswalt was warming up when he called over trainer Marc Andersen and manager Charlie Manuel to tell them that something was wrong. After some brief discussion, Oswalt was taken out of the game and reliever J.C. Romero was called from the bullpen to take over.

From here, the game went downhill. Romero only pitched to one batter, Logan Morrison, and allowed a single before Danys Baez took over for him, and then the nightmare began.

To start, Baez walked Gaby Sanchez, which sent him to first and Morrison to second. Next, he allowed a single to John Buck, which loaded the bases. Although Daniel Murphy popped up in the next at-bat, a pinch hitter came up to the plate and gave the Marlins the lead.

That pinch hitter was none other than Greg Dobbs, one of the Phillies’ worst clutch hitters in recent memory. After the Phillies chose not to resign him this past offseason, the Marlins swooped in and signed him to a minor league contract.

The same Greg Dobbs, who more often than not failed to deliver when the Phillies needed him most, actually hit a two-run single to score Morrison and Sanchez.

The same Greg Dobbs gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead over the Phillies in the seventh inning.

The same Greg Dobbs won the game for the Marlins after neither team scored following his two-RBI single off Baez, who was given the loss.

There are two points to make here: one, that Greg Dobbs actually bothered to do something good for his team after he left the Phillies; and two, that Oswalt most likely would have won the game had he not left following his injury.

Oswalt’s injury was officially diagnosed as a lower back strain and he is currently day-to-day, but he hopes to make his next start. However, Oswalt himself said that it’s more a middle back injury and that he could have pitched the seventh, though he felt it was best to leave before he messed up the game himself. Ironically, it was his fill-ins who did just that.

In the past, Oswalt has spent time on the DL for lower back strains. In 2006 and 2008, Oswalt spent time on the DL due to hip and back problems, and he missed two starts in 2009 because of a lower back strain, which resulted in him being placed on the DL on September 16 of that year, causing him to miss the rest of the season.

Oswalt also said in the same interview mentioned above that he had suffered back spasms through the fifth and sixth innings and his back tightened up after he bunted a ball and ran to first in the bottom of the sixth, something he hadn’t experienced before.

This calls for an obvious question: should Phillies fans be worried about their “ace of clubs“?

Since he has been on the DL many times due to back issues, could this be an addition to an already-long list of DL stints for Oswalt?

Personally, I don’t think there is much to worry about. Since Oswalt has spent time on the DL for these back issues, I would like to think that he would know the severity of a back issue. Then again, there’s always a chance the issue could be more than meets the eye, especially since, as previously stated, Oswalt has not had back spasms nor a “middle back strain” as he claims.

However, Oswalt does expect to move past this quickly and make his next start Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Although there is a chance that this could be a long-term issue, I believe it is slim and that this is a more precautionary move than anything else. Then again, I could be wrong.

I believe, Phillies fans, that this is minor and will quickly pass. Oswalt will start on Wednesday and that is that.

Phillies fans, do not be alarmed.

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The Phantastic Phour, R2C2, The Four Horsemen, The Foureign Legion…I could go on. The Philladelphia Phillies starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels created massive amounts of speculation this winter—could they be the greatest rotation ever assembled?

So, after two turns each, have they lived up to the hype?

Through the first eight games of the year, the foursome has compiled a 6-2 record, pitched to a 3.80 ERA and have struck out more than a batter per inning. These are good numbers, but they are hardly numbers that would place the Phantastic Phour in the company of baseball’s historically great rotations. 

Roy Halladay has been his typical brilliant self thus far. On opening day he limited the Astros to a single run over six innings, striking out six while allowing only five hits. His second start, against the Mets, was also vintage Halladay domination. Over seven innings, Doc shut out the division rival, striking out seven while allowing six hits. Dubbed “Tunnelman” in a Sports Illustrated profile (for his remarkable focus), Halladay has exhibited just that in two overpowering starts.

Cliff Lee, the man who made Philadelphia proud this offseason by spurning the Yankees for the City of Brotherly Love, has not been so dominant this season. Lee pitched well in his first start, striking out 11 over seven innings, with a Carlos Lee home run as the only blemish on his record. 

His second start of the season, however, is cause for concern.

Lee was pulled in the fourth inning after giving up six runs on 10 hits to the Braves. Four of those hits went for extra bases as he was clearly missing his best stuff. This is an issue for Lee. He is usually hit hard when he doesn’t have his best stuff. His excellent control can be a detriment here, as his pitches are rarely off the plate.

Phillies fans shouldn’t worry too much though. Lee’s BABIP this season is .433. Balls will start finding gloves when Lee is pitching.

The third member of the staff, Roy Oswalt, has been the picture of consistency during his tenure with the Phillies. Since arriving last summer, Oswalt has gone 9-1 for the Phillies, including victories in his first two starts this season. Without much fanfare, Oswalt simply does what is expected of him. 

Oswalt was largely hidden for the beginning of his career in Houston, and his personality doesn’t generate tremendous excitement. But if the Phillies are to attain their lofty goals this season, they will need Oswalt to maintain his steady pace.

The last member of the Phantastic Phour, Cole Hamels, is also the most puzzling. At times he has the most dominant repertoire of the staff; at others, he fights to get batters out. Hamels has struggled at times to overcome the perception that he is too California Cool to consistently dominate Major League hitters.

Hamels’ stuff is undeniable, but at times he is prone to giving up the long ball, a major concern at cozy Citizens Bank Park. In his first start of the season, he was shelled by the Mets. He was not hit particularly hard, but gave up seven hits in only 2.2 innings. He does this, not getting hit particularly hard but posting crooked numbers nonetheless.

Working with Halladay, Oswalt and Lee may allow Hamels to bear down more effectively and get key outs. In his second start, his dominant side was on display against the Braves. He shut them out over seven innings, giving up only four hits while striking out eight. For the Phantastic Phour to cement themselves as one of the greatest rotations of all time, Hamels will need to dominate more often than not.

It’s a bit early for the coronation, but the Phour’s first eight starts show that they are on the right track. If the Phillies offense continues to produce, there is no reason to doubt that another parade down Broad Street is possible—with the Phantastic Phour in the lead firetruck.

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