Did Doc Halladay criticize Charlie Manuel?

Roy Halladay recently told reporters he loves Charlie Manuel, then admitted it was time for a change.

Roy Halladay has often been compared to a robot.

He’s an incredibly gifted pitcher who rarely shows emotion or gives out free-flowing opinions. Maybe that’s changing now, as he looks to inch his way back into everyone’s good graces.

Halladay made a rehab start Tuesday night at Class-A Lakewood. The former ace was average on the field, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings, with his fastball topping out at 89. However, it was what Halladay said after the game that had people talking.

When asked about Charlie Manuel’s dismissal, Halladay hinted that it was probably for the best.

“I’ve exchanged texts with him and obviously I loved him, he was great,” Halladay said after his rehab start. “But from what I’ve seen, Ryne [Sandberg] came in and made some changes and addressed some issues that I think were being overlooked.

“So from that standpoint, as much as I miss Charlie, I think that Ryne is going to do a good job and I think he’s going to bring back a little more of the Phillie baseball style than we’ve had the last couple of years. We really haven’t had that whole team effort and that whole team hustle that I think we’ve had in the prior years.”

Halladay, who hasn’t pitched for the Phils since May 5, went on to cite specific examples, like players not showing up on time or taking extra batting practice. He followed it all up by reiterating how much he loves Manuel.

“I don’t want to take away anything from Charlie,” Halladay said. “We all respected him tremendously and I think he’s going to have a choice of what he wants to do next.”