Rumor has it Roy Oswalt was at the hardware store in San Francisco last night broom shopping. OK, corny as that line is, the fact remains: is there a better day to return to the Phillies rotation and reunite the Four Aces?

Out since June 23 with a back injury that really kept him from being the fourth ace, Little Roy returns to a nine-game winning streak and a chance to complete a four-game sweep of the Giants that will undoubtedly kill their mojo going forward.

Roy Oswalt looks to bring the brooms in his first start since June 23.

Hey, the Giants rolled into Philly a little more than a week ago and took two of three from the Phillies. Of course, Hamels was the only one of the Aces the Giants faced. Vanimal, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels have turned in strong outings. Now, it’s Little Roy’s turn.

A win today would give the Phils a double-digit winning streak, all but wrap up home field advantage throughout the playoffs and get in the Giants’ heads. The Phils would have 75 wins with 48 games to go, and hold a 13.5-game lead over the NL West Giants.

More importantly, it also would complete a series that shows they made the best deadline deal. The offense has definitely been on an upswing with the acquisition of Oswalt’s former Astro teammate Hunter Pence.

But, today is all about Oswalt. A strong showing completes an impressive weekend and brings the Four Aces back together heading into the home stretch. Oswalt has not been Oswalt this year.

A 4-6 record is not as concerning as his 3.79 ERA. Yeah, that may not seem high, but that number is very un-Oswalt. Dude’s got a career 3.20 ERA. He only has two career years with anything over 3.18. He’s been under 3.00 in five of his ten seasons.

If Oswalt returns to form, bumping Vanimal to the fifth spot, this rotation will be truly among the best ever.