Roy Halladay spends time in bullpen as he makes strides toward coming back in the season-MLB
Philadelphia Phillies can take positives from the fact that Roy Halladay, the starting pitcher throws a bullpen session on Friday. It was the first time he appeared on the mound after he was injured due to a problem with his lat muscle behind the shoulder.
Halladay was declared out from the season for 6-8 weeks by the time the injury surfaced. As he recovers now, the team will be extremely pleased with the way he is making strides and showing improvements in his arms.
As per the initial reports, his bullpen session went extremely well. He threw every pitch that he boasts in his repertoire. Even the pitching coach Rich Dubee was impressed by the way he showed control.
The fact he has begun spending time on the mound, one can expect that statements will be made about when he will be starting the rehab games. Most probably, with a couple of more bullpen sessions, he will be given an opportunity in simulated games.
As a starter, Halladay holds extreme importance to the club. With many laurels achieved in the career, he is one of those starters who can throw complete games on a regular basis.
His injury was a major blow to the Phillies. It had affected their progress immensely. Since the club was already struggling in other areas, this was the last thing they wanted.
A rather unfortunate aspect was the fact that Vance Worley who had replaced Halladay on rotation failed to off-set the cost. Instead, he accelerated their decline and far from becoming a reliable substitute, he leaked many runs as a starter.
Meanwhile, Dubee is impressed with the professionalism Halladay showed while making progress in recovering from the injury. He calls it a major reason why he is throwing earlier than many had believed in the first place.
“I’ve always been encouraged, ever since he started throwing the ball,” Dubee said. “We’re talking about a different animal. He might be a few days quicker than the doctors thought, but his work ethic might have something to do with it.”
Ideally, the Phillies will like to have him back as soon as possible. However, they will never risk a hurried entry.
Therefore, one will look into his throws during a bullpen sessions that he is going to have ahead, before making a concrete judgment about his appearance in the season.
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