If you are following along, you might want to take a moment to officially add Roy Halladay to your list of worries about these Phillies.
Halladay was staked to a 6-0 lead in Atlanta last night and proceeded to give up eight runs before departing the scene. The Phils rallied a few times to take the lead before blowing it and the game in the 11th inning thanks to a walk-off home run by Chipper Jones, one of the resident Phillies killers. Braves catcher Brian McCann, the president of the local chapter, socked a grand slam off Halladay earlier in the night.
All in all it was an incredibly ugly affair thanks to a pitching staff that was simply awful.
The Inquirer reported this AM the Phillies hadn't blown a game in which they scored 13 runs since 1969. Good thing, too, because this kind of game leaves just about everyone muttering and wiping spittle off his chin.
There were a few highlights, of course. How couldn't there be when you score 13 runs? Carlos Ruiz continues to lead this club in just about every important way. Last night he gave them two leads while knocking in seven runs. Ruiz called his usual fine game. It's just too bad he couldn't call the pitches AND throw them!!
