Roy Halladay had to wait a day to play the role of savior. Didn’t matter. The righty is ready to go.
Many of the talking heads were calling for Halladay to start Game 4, on short rest. But manager Charlie Manuel put that debate to rest as soon as the final out was recorded in Game 3, opting for Joe Blanton last night.
Halladay wasn’t surprised, but he made sure his skipper knew that his schedule is wide open.
“No, I wasn’t surprised. My only thought was to let them know I’ll pitch when you guys want me to pitch and the rest is up to you,” Halladay said. “I’ll be happy to pitch whether it’s a day early or a day later, doesn’t matter.”
Halladay will take the mound tonight in Game 5 against the Giants, who held a 2-1 series lead entering Game 4. The Cy Young favorite has struggled in his two starts vs. San Francisco this season, giving up nine runs on 18 hits. As far as Halladay is concerned, it’s just a matter of minimizing mistakes.
“It really gets back to my job, just doing a better job executing pitches, which is how it is with all teams,” Halladay said. “But really looking back, in the two games, there were mistakes that hurt me.”
Manuel cited the Giants’ competitive nature and free-swinging approach as two factors that can throw a great pitcher like Halladay off his game.
“They always had a lot of life and they take their cuts,” Manuel said. “I think they look at it, and they just enjoy, like, wanting to see if they can beat us.”
