Big Arms, Bats Traded As MLB Deadline Comes
07/30/2010 --
Roy Oswalt granted his own wish: He's now part of a pennant race. Miguel Tejada, Jorge Cantu and Matt Capps joined the mix, too.
The trade wheel of fortune kept spinning Thursday with veterans-for-prospects deals that typically dot the stretch run. More swaps were expected before Saturday's 4 p.m. deadline as pitchers Ted Lilly and Jake Westbrook could go.
The Philadelphia Phillies made the boldest move, getting Oswalt and about $11 million from the Houston Astros for pitcher J.A. Happ and two speedy minor leaguers.
"I'm excited," Phillies ace Roy Halladay said. "It says a lot that this team is dedicated to winning."
Oswalt agreed to waive his no-trade clause and approved the deal to the two-time defending NL champions. The three-time All-Star is set to start Friday night at Washington.
Still throwing hard at 32, Oswalt was 6-12 despite a 3.24 ERA for the foundering Astros. He asked for a trade earlier in the season and the St. Louis Cardinals were among the teams that were interested.
The Phillies took a seven-game winning streak into Thursday night's game against Arizona. They began the day 3½ games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
Copyright 2010, KPRC - Houston
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