Phillies’ Halladay living up to billing

The defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies had hit their first rough patch of the season and needed a big effort out of their new ace, Roy Halladay, in Atlanta on Wednesday. Their bullpen had blown a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning the previous night, and they had relinquished sole possession of first place in National League East. This is when you need your “stopper” to put a bandage on the bleeding.

This is exactly what Halladay provided when he pitched a complete game, five hit shutout in a 2-0 Phillies victory that was aided by a couple of stellar plays in the field. Centerfielder Shane Victorino robbed Troy Glaus of a home run with a leaping catch, and second baseman Chase Utley made a diving stop of a ball that was headed to center field with the based loaded in the 7th inning, starting a nifty inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

“My goal was to be aggressive and not cause any problems for myself. It’s worked out better than I could have thought so far,” opined the Phils ace.

Halladay is 4-0 with an ERA of 0.82 in four starts for the Phillies, and he is proving that he is the real deal, and he makes an already tough Philadelphia contingent that much tougher.