Halladay Goes 5 Innings, Phillies Top Pirates
March 16th, 2010
Phillies ace Roy Halladay provided another solid outing on Monday, although giving up his 1st run of the spring through ten innings. The Phils scored a fourth inning run on Pirates starting lefthander Zach Duke and jumped on reliever Evan Meek for 3 more in the fifth and scored another in the sixth. Halladay went five Innings as the Phillies topped the Pirates by a 5-1 score.
The Phils played a fine game but there were a couple of minuses. 3rd baseman Placido Polanco suffered a sprained right knee while attempting to catch a pop-up on the mound. Polanco came down hard and funny on his right foot after losing the pop-up in the sun. It dropped in for a hit as Polanco hit the ground in pain. The AP recap for Yahoo sports describes what happened next:
Two trainers helped him off the field.
Polanco was examined by the Pirates medical staff, which told him there was a sprain in the back of the knee as well as a slight hyperextension of the upper calf. Polanco said he could return by the end of the week.
“I don’t think it’s too bad,” Polanco said. “When it first happens, you really get scared. You don’t know what’s happening. It doesn’t feel right. But now that the doctor took a look at it, it’s nothing big at all.”
Meanwhile, veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer was pounded for 5 runs and 8 hits in three innings in his start in the “B” game against the against the Toronto Blue Jays who featured 7 of their regulars in the lineup. It was a setback in his competition with Kyle Kendrick for the 4th starter role. If Kendrick is making every effort to beat Moyer for the position, Moyer beat himself in this one.
Halladay gave up 3 hits and a run while walking 2 and striking out 6 in five innings and then 3 relievers, including Chad Durbin, finished up allowing the Pirates 1 baserunner in the final 4 innings.
1st baseman Ryan Howard and substitute 3rd baseman Cody Ransom each went 2 for 3 with Ransom clubbing a 3 run homer in the fifth inning and Howard driving in the fourth inning run.
On Tuesday, the Phils face the Detroit Tigers as lefthander Cole Hamels opposes Dustin Verlander for the Tigers. Relievers Ryan Madson, Antonio Bastardo and Danys Baez also are scheduled for action.





