Baseball: Roy Oswalt mows down St. Louis Cardinals in his Texas ... - Alameda Times-Star

Roy Oswalt looked right at home in his debut with the Texas Rangers.

Making his first major league start in over eight months, Oswalt pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Rangers won their seventh straight game, beating the slumping Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Friday night.

Oswalt, who pitched more than 10 years in the National League with Houston and Philadelphia, made four minor league starts after signing with the Rangers May 29.

The 34-year-old Oswalt won his 160th career game and his first since beating Atlanta on Sept. 27. He allowed nine hits and one run in 6 2-3 innings.

"I won't tell you I wasn't nervous," said Oswalt, who threw 81 of his 110 pitches for strikes. "If you don't have butterflies, you might as well get out of the game."

Oswalt last pitched in the majors on Oct. 5 -- a Game 4 loss to the Cardinals in the NLDS.

The Rockies probably felt the time off hadn't hurt Oswalt. The right-hander improved to 9-2 lifetime against Colorado with a 1.89 ERA, his best mark against any of the 16 teams he's faced more than three times.

"He was ready to pitch and he pitched like Roy Oswalt," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Oswalt, who

struck out six and walked one, was sharp from the start. His fastball was clocked in the low 90s and he showed off his slow curveball that confused Colorado hitters most of the game. The Rockies didn't muster much against Oswalt until breaking through in the seventh.

Schilling's financial loss: Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said the collapse of his 38 Studios video game company has probably cost him his entire baseball fortune, and he placed part of the blame on Rhode Island officials, including Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Schilling said during a 90-minute interview on WEEI-FM in Boston that he put more than $50 million of his own money in the company and that he's had to tell his family that "the money I saved during baseball was probably all gone."

Rangers: Texas slugger Josh Hamilton and his wife, Katie, confirmed they have agreed to the creation of a feature film about his life.

Royals: Felipe Paulino tore a ligament in his right elbow during his rehab assignment and will have reconstructive elbow surgery.

Brewers: Veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez, 37, signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee after being let go by the Atlanta Braves.

Rays: Tampa Bay placed outfielder Matt Joyce on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain.