NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS v CARDINALS

October 13, 2005

Craig Biggio

Brad Lidge

Roy Oswalt

ROY OSWALT: I felt pretty well the whole night. The first inning I felt myself flying open, a few balls leaping back over the plate. After the first inning, I got a little more rhythm going toward the plate instead of toward first. After that, everything started working, you know, a lot quicker, kept the ball down in the zone. Overall, you know, pretty well as far as keeping the ball where I wanted to. When I wanted to keep it inside I kept it inside and made some quality pitches when I needed.

ROY OSWALT: I wasn't expecting anybody to come in. But, you know, with Edmonds up, Pujols on deck, two men on, you've got to get that out. I was able to throw a back door slider and he went out to get it and rolled over it. I thought it was a key situation of the game, especially 2-1. That, and the two innings before, when they had guys on, could have blew it wide open with a base hit and I was able to make a quality pitch at the time needed. I was pretty pumped up because of the way tonight's been going, I threw some good pitches that they laid off, or you know could have went either way and was able to battle through it and get through the big inning.

ROY OSWALT: I don't really pay attention to stats. Any given night, you can either get hit or you can throw a shutout. What you've done to them two times before, or two years ago, or five years ago, it doesn't really matter going into a game. It's just the way you pitch and the quality of pitches you throw.

CRAIG BIGGIO: He's been phenomenal. He has not had a chance to play much the in post-season but two home runs and consecutive at-bats and tonight coming through with a big hit, he's played great left field for us. But he's been a huge contributor for us and a big lift.

CRAIG BIGGIO: Well, I don't think he's getting overshadowed by anybody in that other clubhouse or anybody else in our league. I told him, I think today was his best pitching performance that he had all season and a guy that won 20 games for us in consecutive years. He's one of the best in the League and we've got three pretty solid starters in our clubhouse, and it's a nice problem to have.

ROY OSWALT: We had been busting him in with fastballs a lot through the years, and in key situations. He's gotten me a few times with a fastball that came back over the plate and I was able to throw two on the inside corner that he fouled off a pretty good pitch. I knew 3-2 there that he knew my mentality where I don't give in, throw fastballs in the zone and make him hit it. I figure if I can start a slider a little bit out off the plate, that he'd give up on it and was able to do it and he came back over the plate for a strike.

ROY OSWALT: I don't know if it's the biggest game, we had an elimination game against the Cubs that was pretty good. I pitched a lot of games that's counted, so you know, it's a key game, for sure to leave here with a split and go home to play three games, it's a big game, but overall, probably top five, for sure.

BRAD LIDGE: Well, it was great to come in with a three-run lead, as opposed to a one-run lead, I can tell you that. It does change your approach a little bit. You want to stay aggressive knowing that you're going to have to throw two innings, you don't want to run your pitch count up too much in the first inning, but they have got some great hitters and you want to stay aggressive but you don't want to give them anything that they can hit out of the park. It's one of those deals where it takes a good balance of strikes but knowing what you're doing to get guys out.

BRAD LIDGE: It's huge. We faced two great pitchers here the last two nights, Carpenter and Mulder. To get a win today was really necessary and I think getting back to Houston with one under our belt, we play great at home obviously and this is a big lift for us.