Most of the time, skewed spring training results can be ignored when it comes to established players. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay probably would like to ignore what happened Tuesday afternoon against the Tigers. He allowed seven runs and six hits, including a grand slam by Ramon Santiago and a two-run homer by Don Kelly.
As reporter Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, Detroit didn't even have sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder in the lineup. Had they been there, they would have faced Halladay throwing in the mid-80s (as in mph, not the decade):
Another scout's radar gun has Halladay velocity at around 84-85. Just gave up grand slam to [Santiago].
— Bob Brookover (@brookob) March 12, 2013
He also walked four over 69 pitches. The low velocity is troublesome, but Halladay's command usually is his bread and butter. Is Halladay hiding an injury out of pride? Or is he just thrown one too many pitches to be Ol' Dominant Roy? The only thing he's got working right now — thank goodness — is his beard.
Considering his down season in 2012, the Phillies had been hoping Halladay would springboard back to dominance during Grapefruit League action. He usually pitches well during the spring. Going on 36 years old, it's becoming less and less likely that Halladay will ever recapture his previous dominance.
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