Game two of the NLCS gets underway tonight with Roy Oswalt of the Astros facing Mark Mulder of the Cardinals. Oswalt had a poor season against the Cardinals. His only win came when St. Louis had wrapped up the division and home field advantage. Home runs were the key to the Cardinals success against Roy. Three of the 18 home runs he allowed were to St. Louis.
Unlike Pettitte, Oswalt was not stellar down the stretch. Excellent games against the Cardinals, Brewers and Phillies were punctuated with poor starts versus the Cubs, Pirates and Brewers. When it mattered, the Cardinals had Roy’s number. Keep your eye on the Edmonds/Oswalt matchup, however. Roy’s struck Jim out 15 times in 35 at bats.
Mulder started four times vs. the Astros and pitched well in three of the four games. His ten inning shutout of the Astros vs. Roger Clemens was one of the highlights of the season. One reason for Mulder’s success vs. the Astros is that Houston has the lowest batting average and on base average vs. lefties in the NL, and they were 13th in slugging vs. south paws.
Enjoy!