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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.