"If I can keep this kind of command all the way through, I'll be happy. I wanted to come in, get my pitch count up, and be ready to go."
Oswalt allowed nine hits in 62/3 innings, striking out six and walking one while throwing 110 pitches - 81 for strikes.
"Having Roy Oswalt is a huge shot in the arm for our team," third baseman Michael Young said. "He works extremely fast, keeps the defense involved, great tempo, and we're excited to have him."
So were the 46,694 on hand, a sellout crowd that matched the club record of 21 in a season, set in strike-shortened 1994.
Moyer sought release
The Orioles released 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, who requested the move after the team failed to promote him from the minor leagues.
Moyer started the season with Colorado, where he became the oldest starting pitcher to win a game in the big leagues. He was released by the Rockies after going 2-5 and signed a minor-league deal with the Orioles on June 6.
Moyer signed the contract with the stipulation that he make three starts with triple-A Norfolk. After that, the team had to promote him or release him.
Following his third start with Norfolk on Wednesday, the Orioles offered Moyer another start with the Tides. The lefthander instead opted to become a free agent.
Moyer, a Souderton native who starred for St. Joseph's and the Phillies, went 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA at Norfolk.
Giants-A's a big draw
It's become a cliche around most major-league cities to say interleague play has run its course and should be abandoned.
But there are places where the gimmick still works: A rare sellout crowd of 35,067 packed aging Oakland Coliseum with green and gold sprinkled with chunks of orange and black as the Bay Bridge Series opened on Friday night.
Around the bigs
Dan Driessen, an often overlooked member of the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine, was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday, along with first baseman Sean Casey and 19th-century player John Reilly.
Bobby Abreu hit a three-run homer for the Dodgers on the first pitch he saw in his return to Angel Stadium.
Contact Don McKee at dmckee@phillynews.com.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
