By Matt Snyder
Hero: David Freese. Period. He put the Cardinals ahead for good with a two-RBI double and later tacked on a two-run homer. In a lineup with three of the better power hitters in the baseball, Freese drove in four of the Cardinals' five runs.
Goat: Remember back at the start of the year when people liked to say the Phillies have "four aces." Yeah, they actually don't. Roy Oswalt isn't an ace anymore, and it showed Wednesday evening. Much of the "four aces" talk has morphed into "three aces," but after Wednesday's outing, it's pretty safe to say no one will continue to insist Oswalt is still the same pitcher he was three years ago. He coughed up six hits and five earned runs in five innings, even after being spotted a 2-0 lead before he even took the mound.
| PHI-STL NLDS Game 4 |
It was over when ... Freese sent an Oswalt pitch into the grass that serves as a batter's eye over the center-field wall. There's no way the Cardinals felt confident with that 3-2 lead, but the 5-2 lead had to have felt pretty secure.
Next: They'll meet again in Game 5 Friday night with the season on the line. The loser goes home, the winner heads to the NLCS. We know the Phillies are sending Ace No. 1, Roy Halladay, to the hill. The Cardinals will likely go with Chris Carpenter. Buckle up, it's a pair of aces.
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