Phillies Fans Must Realize Halladay is Only Human
By: Mike Reisman
Last night Roy Halladay went only six innings giving up five earned runs in a loss to the Cubs. This game made Phillies fans (once again) question the acquisition of Halladay. Are you serious?
To start off, the only reason the Phillies went out and got Halladay was for the fans. As many people may remember, the fans of Philadelphia were upset that the Phillies could not obtain Halladay and had to settle with Cliff Lee. So the front office went out and traded for the superstar. Unfortunately they were forced to get rid of Cliff Lee who was a major player in the Phillies world series run. So the only reason the Phillies even have Halladay is because the fans wanted him.
Halladay started off the year incredibly, going a ridiculous 8-3 with a mere 2.03 ERA. Since then Halladay has gone an unimpressive 2-5. However there is more than meets the eye. In that span his ERA has still been a very good 2.95. The difference in those starts? In all of his losses he has had the rest of the team score a total of 11 runs. Thats just more than a pitiful two runs per game. Not only that but Halladay also pitched a complete game shutout that he got a no decision for as the Phillies won in extras.
Now people are saying that they want Cliff Lee instead. However fans don't realize that, though he has less losses, Lee also has two less wins than Halladay. Not to mention that his ERA is .17 points higher. Also in one of Lee's wins he gave up seven runs, so really Lee only has 7 quality wins. Halladay also has had two more shutouts and one more complete game than Lee. Finally Cliff Lee has 34 less strikeouts than Halladay. The numbers don't lie. Halladay is pitching much better.
Now on to last night. Though Halladay did not pitch well, it is not all his fault. When he left the game the Cubs only had six runs. For those who did not see the game last night, that is the total the Phillies finished with. Had the bullpen kept the Cubs to only six runs, the Phillies could have taken the game to extras and possibly won.
When it comes to Roy Halladay and starting pitchers, Phillies fans should be grateful for what they have. Even though the team is not in the best position record wise right now, the blame should not lie solely on the starting pitching. Everyone needs to step up.
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