Dumb heartbreak
Manager error: Roy Oswalt doomed by Charlie Manuel's Brad Lidge fear
Roy Oswalt was put in an impossible situation in Game 4 of the NLCS — and helost.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel should have done Oswalt better.
Roy Oswalt never should have been in the game. And deep down, you can bet that Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel knows it.
If Manuel wasn't absolutely terrified of his own closer Brad Lidge, the Phillies might still hold more than a slim puncher's chance at advancing to a third straight World Series. But because Manuel still doesn't completely believe in one former Houston Astro, he screwed over another and crippled his team in the process.
Make no mistake, that's what this 6-5 San Francisco Giants win over the Phillies in Game 4 of the National League Championship series is all about. The L goes next to Oswalt's name in the box score, but it really belongs to Manuel.
Oswalt never should have been on the mound to start the bottom of the ninth. He's not a reliever. He's not great on short rest. He's a 33-year-old creature of major league habit, one who was set up to fail by his manager.
This wasn't about Manuel being afraid that the game would go on and on into extra innings, forcing him to use Kyle Kendrick. No, Manuel manages for the moment, that's always been one of his strengths, and in the biggest moment of them all, with his team having crawled back to a 5-5 in a need-to-win game, he didn't want it all to depend on Lidge, So Manuel called on Oswalt, ignored his own vow to keep his Big Three on regular rest, on their regular turns ... and boom.
Yes, Oswalt gave up two singles on two days rest — including one to wunderkind catcher Buster Posey — and a long sacrifice fly to Juan Uribe to set off the fireworks exploding in the San Francisco sky. Yes, Oswalt — the hardnosed competitor — will only blame himself.
Only the first official loss of the former 'stro's postseason career (Oswalt was 5-0 lifetime in the playoffs coming into Wednesday night, even if did get rocked in the only World Series start he's ever seen), isn't his bad. It's Manuel's.
Lidge went shaky (again) in a non-save situation in Game 1 of this NLCS, wasn't needed after Oswalt's eight brilliant innings in Game 2 and Manuel clearly wishes it would stay that way. So the manager compromised Oswalt instead, made it suddenly unlikely that Oswalt will get to another World Series by giving him the ball when he wasn't ready.
Drayton McLane didn't gift Oswalt with that Caterpillar bulldozer for his relief work.
Manuel should have known better. Oswalt certainly deserved better.
