As if the Phillies’ injury issues couldn’t get worse, they’ve now lost starter Roy Halladay for an undetermined time due to a shoulder problem.
Suddenly, Roy Oswalt looks like a viable option for the Phillies.
For those who have been following MetsToday, the Halladay injury is not exactly a surprise. From May 8th:
I can’t put my finger on what exactly is wrong, but I think there might be a physical issue with Roy Halladay. His follow-through looks cut off, with his upper body staying a bit too high from what I remember. In fact he’s putting too much stress on his arm with his finish. Additionally, his arm angle occasionally dropped a bit below low three-quarter — he was just about sidearm on several pitches. He’s also throwing more curveballs than his normal rate. Finally, his arm tended to drag behind his body, particularly as the game wore on. All these factors suggest that he may have either a shoulder or back issue. I hope that’s not the case, because as a baseball fan I absolutely love watching him deal. Let’s just say I won’t be stunned if at some point this season he goes on the DL with an arm and/or back problem.
Considering what I saw in that game and his 88-MPH gun readings in spring training, my guess is that Halladay has severely damaged his shoulder — and likely needing surgery. Though such a turn of events is good for the Mets, it doesn’t please me as a baseball fan, because I thoroughly enjoy watching Halladay as an artist at work.
