There’s nothing really left to play for in Philadelphia. The Phillies, after losing two out of three to the Atlanta Braves over the weekend now sit 5.5 games behind St. Louis for the second wild card spot. There are 8 games remaining as they start play tonight.
The question on everyone’s mind is will Roy Halladay make his final start of the season? Halladay has already been bumped from his start Thursday so that the team can take a look at him during a bullpen session. Testing has revealed no structural damage to Doc’s shoulder, and the medical staff has suggested that pitching wouldn’t put Halladay at risk of injury. Halladay, ever the gamer, would like to make his final start, and the coaching staff seems likely to accommodate him. Because he’s earned it.
I don’t dispute that on some levels. Roy Halladay is a class act. He’s a guy you can really root for and get behind for many reasons. One of which has been his ability to go out and dominate opposing hitters. But Doc hasn’t been Doc this year. And that’s been clear from day one in Spring training.
I could understand sending Halladay to the mound if the Phillies were in the middle of a pennant race, but they are not. As I said earlier, this season is over. Why then, would you risk Halladay’s future by sending him out there?
I know the medical staff said it’s fine, but they’ve made mistakes before. And you can’t tell me that Halladay’s shoulder wouldn’t benefit from some additional rest. I know that Charlie Manuel wants to right by his players because he knows he gets their loyalty with his, but in some cases, that’s just not enough.
Shut Halladay down and hope that his new offseason routine will allow him to build shoulder strength and return to form next year. He will be a key component in deciding whether this team can compete next year. To me, there is no point in risking it.
Doc’s a great guy and competitor, but his season needs to be over.
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