Phils Cruise to 9-1 Victory Behind Oswalt, Plus Bonus Charlie Audio On Ruiz's Hitting

Friday night's 9-1 victory was about as easy as you could hope for to kick off the final homestand of the season. The Phillies trounced on Jason Marquis early with six quick runs and the Nationals starter couldn't even get out of the inning. The explosive first wasn't without its breaks, as Wilson Valdez hit into what appeared to be an inning ending double play. But before the ball could get to second baseman Danny Espinosa to turn it, the ball ricocheted off of the umpire, instead giving Valdez a single that allowed Werth to score. Oswalt followed up the play with an RBI single of his own, and a Victorino RBI fielder's choice later capped the 6-run inning. "Breaks are the name of the game," Charlie Manuel said, admitting that the play probably would have been a routine DP. "Biggest thing is when you do get a break, you gotta capitalize on it, take advantage of it." The Phillies did just that, and with Roy Oswalt on the mound, six runs was more than enough to earn the Phillies the win. [video below] After Oswalt was moved up a day in the rotation, Manuel said six innings and 97 pitches was plenty for him. He probably could have gone another inning, but with the adjusted schedule and a comfortable lead, no need to force it. He also wanted to get J.C. Romero some work. Manuel was particularly jovial answering questions following the win. Asked if this team is as locked in as he's seen them this year, Charlie said "We're doing exactly the right things at the right time. We're catching the ball at the right time, we're hitting at the right time. On given nights we're not really scorching the ball and scoring a lot of runs, but out hits come at the right time, and our pitching definitely been pitching at the right time. That's the mark of good play," Manuel said. After a 1-3 performance tonight, Carlos Ruiz surpassed Placido Polanco for the team lead in hitting, with Chooch batting an even .300 while Polly is one point below at .299 for the year. If somebody had told Charlie Manuel back in March or April that Carlos Ruiz would be leading his club in hitting with 14 games to play by batting .300, what would Cholly have said? Charlie's answer to said question below. >>Phillies Pound Nationals to Start Homestand [Finger] Here's Charlie talking about doing the right things at the right time as mentioned above:

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