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There's clearly something wrong with Roy Halladay. Your eyes say so, and so do the gory numbers.The Philadelphia Phillies' veteran right-hander has made two starts so far in 2013, and neither of them have been good. His totals: 7.1 innings pitched, 12 hits, six walks, three home runs, one hit batsman and two wild pitches.Doc Halladay's ERA after two starts is 14.73. His WHIP is 2.46. His confidence, meanwhile, has seen better days.“This is a game of failure and I’ve had my fair share,” said Halladay after Monday's beating at the hands of the New York Mets, via CSNPhilly.com. “Some days you’re a horse and some days you’re a horse’s [rear]. I’ve been a horse’s [rear] for a little while. It’s something I’ve dealt with in the past and I think I can overcome.”Maybe Halladay's right, but he shouldn't hold out hope of recapturing his old dominant ways from 2010 ...

Roy Halladay came into the 2013 season with question marks surrounding his performance as a co-ace in the Philadelphia Phillies rotation. Through two awful, uncharacteristic starts, Doc is leaving fans and analysts with more questions than answers. His 14.73 ERA isn't just unsightly; it's unfathomable. That is, of course, until you watch and dissect what he's doing or, more aptly, not doing on the mound.It's early, but Doc's season and career have reached a crossroads. For the Phillies to rebound from the disappointment of an 81-81 campaign in 2012, Halladay's performance is crucial. As he searches for answers, trends in his performance and approach can be spotted.Here are four things we have already learned about Roy Halladay in 2013.1. He doesn't trust his fastball Percentage of time Roy Halladay has thrown his fastball since arriving in Philly, 2010-present, year-by-year: 37.4, 22.6, 19.4, 17.9. Yikes. The main concern around Doc ...

Roy Halladay's 2013 spring training performance has been just shy of disastrous.Halladay was cuffed around again in his most recent trip to the mound, a four-inning, 81-pitch seven-hit slog against a lineup comprised of Triple-A hitters, per Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.How bad was it? He only retired seven out of 18 batters. One of the innings was halted by Philadelphia Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee with the bases loaded and two out—presumably because the Phillies did not want Halladay rearing back to get out of the exhibition jam only to hurt himself for real.Take a minute and think about how desolate things have become for Halladay when his corner man has to temporarily stop the fight against a Triple-A lineup.This was hardly the step forward Halladay or the Phillies were hoping for, following consecutive appearances that saw Halladay touched up by the Detroit Tigers and then removed after one inning ...

The Toronto Blue Jays have done a tremendous job remodeling their team into a playoff contender during the offseason.No. Make that a World Series contender.I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but the odds makers in Las Vegas have them pegged as the clear favorites.What’s even more impressive: Almost every major player they have acquired this season is set to wear a Blue Jays uniform for at least a few years, except starting pitcher Josh Johnson. Johnson will make $13.75 million this season as his four-year contract comes to an end (originally signed by the Miami Marlins).While Johnson will not be the “Ace” or opening day starter for the Blue Jays, he will play a vital role in the Jays success or failures this season. But you have to wonder if Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos wants to dish out the money to have him as a ...

The Philadelphia Phillies have not had a losing season since 2002, when they finished 80-81. The last ten seasons have provided the faithful fan base in Philadelphia with more things to cheer about than to jeer about. Unfortunately though, the end is near. It wasn't the farcical Mayan Apocalypse that dashed the hopes of Phillies fans everywhere. No. It was the mismanagement of a roster and farm system that will cause the destruction of arguably the best decade of baseball in this franchise's history. Who is to blame?People will easily point fingers at the players. Most notably, Ryan Howard's disappointing lack of production along with an additional projected decrease as his salary increases through the next several years is causing flack among Phillies fans.Despite all this, Howard is not to blame.Charlie Manuel developed a reputation for being a manager who knows how to instruct and correct batting issues from the get-go. It ...

Most nights, for an inning or so, it all still makes sense—the Philadelphia Phillies still look like the Phillies. Friday night's game, for example, saw Roy Halladay take the ball.  He gave up a solo home run to Carlos Beltran in the first inning, but after that he was really excellent and never in any serious trouble. Just how you remember it.  The Phillies' first four batters in the game were Jimmy Rollins, Juan Pierre, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  Four legitimate major league baseball players, two former National League Most Valuable Players.  Or to put it another way, an aggregate of over $47 million in salary to four hitters. Save for the occasions when Jonathan Papelbon ($11 million) comes in at the end of the game (as he did Friday night), that is where the similarities to the Phillies you remember ends. After Howard on Friday night, the next ...

At nine games under .500 and 11 games back from the N.L. East-leading Washington Nationals, to say that the Philadelphia Phillies have been a disappointment is an underwhelming statement.The fact is, many of us were called "doomsdayers" when we forecasted a seismic shift in the winning percentage for the Phillies in 2012.Sure, the same, tired arguments are sufficient in making excuses for the excessive failures of the Phillies in 2012. Ryan Howard is injured, Chase Utley missed 70-plus games, Lee and Halladay have been nicked up and the bullpen misses the 2011 forms of Antonio Bastardo and the still-injured Michael Stutes.Injuries aside, another tired narrative focuses on where the Phillies went wrong. Unfortunately, the finger is usually wagged in the wrong direction.While all of the following deserve some blame, they are not the primary culprits of the Phillies lost season of 2012.Manager Charlie Manuel has made some questionable moves from ...

The Philadelphia Phillies (26-25) are no longer contenders in the NL East after learning that Roy Halladay will miss 6-8 weeks with a strained right latissimus dorsi.Halladay leads the National League in wins (44), innings pitched (556.2) and complete games (17) since being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 2010 season. It will be impossible to replace that lost production.Re-signing 34-year-old Roy Oswalt would have been a major consolation. However, that opportunity passed when he officially agreed to a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.Conveniently, second-year stud Vance Worley feels pain-free as he recovers from elbow inflammation. Still, his return won't be enough to salvage the club's dwindling playoffs hopes.Minus Halladay, Kyle Kendrick becomes a fixture on the starting staff. Fans shouldn't be too excited about his recent performance. A lack of swing-and-miss stuff won't allow him to keep dominating.Manager Charlie Manuel simply doesn't have enough offensive talent on ...

Dominic Brown- Untouchable.  Jake Diekman- Off the radar.As the Phillies try for a sixth consecutive NL Eastern Division crown, it's obvious this season will be more challenging than the previous divisional crowns.  Injuries and age are taking their toll on this core and the latest blow, a shoulder strain to ace Roy Halladay might be too much to overcome.The Phillies aren't the only team to battle injuries this season, and most franchises dip into their minors for help.  Seeing that some of the bigger surprises this season have been Freddy Galvis and Jake Diekman, it makes you wonder if the brass of the Phillies know what they are doing when evaluating talent.A couple of outfielders were deemed untouchable midway through the 2009 season when the Phils went shopping for a pitcher.  Those two were Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor.Taylor, 6'5 255 lbs was a 5th round draft pick in 2007.  ...

The Phillies have seen drastic ups and downs for the past 20 seasons. They lost as many as 97 games in 2000 and won as many as 102 in 2011.  They have been to three World Series (1993, 2008, 2009) winning one and have won the division six times (1993, 2007-11).So who had the best seasons, by position during that stretch to make up the All-Phillies team of the past 20 years?  Who's the manager and best coach?Let's find out.Begin Slideshow