gamble lost

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel should be second-guessed for his decision to put right-hander Roy Oswalt in the game in the ninth inning on Wednesday night. Yes, Oswalt, the former Holmes Community College star from Weir, volunteered for the duty, but it was Manuel’s call. It’s always a gamble to put a player in a role with which he is not very familiar, and Manuel lost the bet. Oswalt, brilliant as a starter for the Phillies all year and in the postseason, wasn’t so good in relief. Coming on in a tie game against San Francisco, just three days after starting Game 2, Oswalt threw 18 pitches, 13 for strikes. But his stuff wasn’t fooling the Giants. All four balls put in play were hit hard, including singles by Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey and Juan Uribe’s game-winning sacrifice fly. Now down 3-1 in the best-of-7 National League Championship Series, the Phillies can only hope Oswalt gets another chance to pitch. As the starter in Game 6, if there is one.