Something tells me that when Roy Halladay takes the mound on Tuesday for his fourth spring training start, he’s going to throw a no-hitter for however many innings he pitches.
Yesterday, Doc didn’t did do so well. He allowed five runs in just 2 2/3 innings, but told reporters after the game that he was working on his change-up, which is off right now.
But that didn’t stop FOX’s bow-tie man, Ken Rosenthal, from speculating, citing two scouts, that something may be wrong with Halladay.
Fresh off a Lollipop Guild meeting, Rosenthal: [FOX Sports]
Halladay, the Phillies’ ace right-hander, has not missed time this spring. But two scouts following the Phillies expressed concern Wednesday about the pitcher’s lack of velocity and sharpness in Grapefruit League play.
One scout said Halladay topped out at 89 mph Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins, threw from a lower arm angle and lacked bite on his changeup and sinker. Another said that Halladay does not resemble the same pitcher who comes out “like gangbusters” every spring.
Amaro told Rosenthal that everything was fine and there was no reason for concern.
Today, Halladay caught wind of Rosenthal’s article and had this to say: [via Delco Times beat reporter Ryan Lawrence]
"Yeah, I heard about that," Halladay said. "That's poor reporting at the extreme end of poor reporting. It couldn't be further from the truth."
…
"I don't know, I don't pay attention to that. You know, the older you get, the more you throw, the longer it takes to get yourself going," Halladay said. "When I came up, I threw 98. Last year, I was throwing 92-93. So, you know, it's not unusual. But when you get older, it takes longer. The more innings you throw, the more time it takes to get yourself going again."
Yeah, Doc’s pissed.
Amaro again commented on the report, this time to Inquirer beat reporter Matt Gelb: [Philly.com]
"There's nothing wrong with him," Amaro said. "He's fine. There's no basis for the alarm."
Amaro then walked away laughing haughtily.
I imagine that the laugh was not unlike The Big Poker's post-trade maniacal laugh.
Carlos Ruiz, of course, came to his master’s rescue, too:
“He’s a guy that can figure it out right away. It’s nothing we have to worry about because he said he feels great.”
The Phillies aren’t exactly forthcoming about injuries, but it doesn’t seem like anything is physically wrong with Doc. It's worth keeping an eye on, though.
By the way, is Chase Utley in the lineup today? NO.
Video of Halladay speaking to reporters after yesterday's game is after the jump.
16 Responses
HOLY SHIT!!!!
An article without a Richie, Carts or Babin reference!!!
Rosenthal doesn’t have a fucking clue what he’s talking about, but I do. I know more about Phillies Baseball than all Phillies fans COMBINED
IS IT ME OR IS EVERY NEWS OUTFIT, REPORTING ABOUT INJURED PHILLIES? IT IS AN EFFING JOKE. STRASBURG GOT BOMBED YESTERDAY BY THE BRAVES AND YOU DON’T HEAR S*$T ABOUT IT
Gotta admit: the uncharacteristic Spring Training Halladay’s having is a bit concerning. Mainly because anytime anyone in the Phillies organization says someone is “fine” — I don’t buy it. (Three words that will live in franchise infamy: “General Body Soreness.”)
But, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Halladay gives Rosenthal the proverbial middle finger in his next start by going out and throwing a 75-pitch, 9-inning complete game!
In defense of Rosenthal, he relayed what scouts had observed (lower velocity and different mechanics). Thou doth protest too much.
You usually have lower velocity when you are working on your change-up…..YOU DOPE, MORON, NITWIT!!!
No wonder this site gets a lot of web hits, you have to click all day to wait for an article, and you’re lucky if it doesn’t have Babin, Carts or Richie in it
GREGORY! ITS FUCKING AWESOME TO TYPE ALL IN CAPS!!!#$%^(#_#*ONE
But seriously. we are getting all of this attention because we are now a team on par with the Yankees and BoSox in talent and spending. Its fine. I’m happy with it. Philadelphia in the national spotlight, let’s not blow it by puking on a cops daughter.
The Nats try to create buzz, but most media people figure they are 2 years from being a real contender. So with them not being a factor, yet, i think the scriptuals don’t care. “No WS contender? no care”
-That Guy-
You mean before I started watching baseball (October of ’08) , it wasn’t like this?
huh
When Doc gets mad, it usually doesn’t bode well for the other team. Anyway, since he has so much movement on his pitches, isn’t his velocity going to be down anyway?
Sounds like Halladay is done. Glad we got Fat Joe at 100%.
I know he’s not, but for some reason I feel like Halladay is overrated. Something about him I just don’t like. Maybe it’s because I don’t trust Mormons.
H-day sucks in the 1st inning. I partly blame him for game 5 loss.
It boils down to him getting out pitched in the biggest game of the year. I thought his performance was turrible
I could tell during game 5 last year he was washed up. How do you give up that run in the first? He’s a bum with a dead arm.
Comments are closed.