What Is Wrong With Roy Oswalt? | IFIWEREABETTINMAN

He is 5-7 with a 5.04 ERA, yet when I watched Roy Oswalt pitch his last game against the Yankees, I could see nothing wrong with him at all. He looked like the same tough-as-nails pitcher that has accumulated a 117-61 career record and a 3.19 career ERA.

Tonight he is an underdog to Matt Garza and the Tampa Bay Rays. If you looked up "average MLB pitcher" in the dictionary, you might see a picture of Garza. Only 24-years-old and off to a decent start this season, he has nothing special to throw at opposing teams. Oswalt is easily the best pitcher in this match up and you can have him for a +130 price.

Part of the underdog price has to do with the struggles of the Astros offense, of course. They have lost eight straight games and are playing a hot, young Rays team in Tampa Bay. Winning won't be easy.

Still, Oswalt was pitching well against a brutally tough Yankees lineup in his last game. Reaching speeds on the radar gun of more than 95 mph, Oswalt had all the pitches that have made him an ace over the past several seasons. The Yankees only got to him because of a couple bloop hits in that game and a couple tough calls by the umpire that turned into walks instead of strikeouts for the Yankees. The final score was Yankees 13 and Astros 0, but that is deceiving.

I could see Oswalt really shutting down the Rays offense for five innings or so and giving his offense a chance to build that lead early. If Lance Berkman is in the lineup for the Astros, it is a big plus, but they could win without him.

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