Behind Roy Oswalt's first complete game in red pinstripes, the Phillies took the third game and the series from the New York Mets.
Scoring started in the first for the first place Phils, getting two on with nobody out before Chase Utley knocked in Shane Victorino. Jon Niese would let up two more runs on a Ryan Howard single (off a lefty!) that scored Placido Polanco and a Raul Ibanez solo shot, his 14th of the year and 230th of his career. The lineup didn't exactly devour Niese in his seven innings; Howard, Werth, and Ibanez combined for seven strikeouts, but Roy didn't need much -- striking out six and walking one on his way to his eighth career complete game shutout. 15 ground ball outs to only 6 fly outs to boot.
Said Oswalt:
It just feels great to be back in a pennant race.
Oswalt is now 6-1 with the team and an ERA closing on two. Former Phillie Kyle Lohse leads the Cardinals into Atlanta against Tim Hudson in the Sunday night game.