Bob Ford: Bank on it? Phillies' bandbox likely would not faze Halladay.

Halladay is a serious guy. He likes routine. He likes knowing his environment and controlling it when possible. Change is not his favorite thing, according to those who know him.

"He has the last say [about a trade], and I know he likes pitching in Toronto. He's comfortable there, he likes the way he's treated, and he's had good success," said outfielder Matt Stairs, who also played with Halladay.

So, if it did happen that Serious Roy took a look at the scoreboard last night - after all, the Phillies have been handicapped as front-runners in the trade race - he might have noticed the five-spot hung by the Pirates after just two innings. He might have seen the highlight flashes on the board: Pitt HR Jones (4); Pitt HR Young (3); Pitt HR McCutchen (2).

What, if anything, would Roy Halladay have thought of that? Or was he merely studying the Orioles and trying to figure out which pitch is best served to Nick Markakis with a 1-1 count?

We'll never know. Halladay doesn't ever say much, and no one in Baltimore would have thought to ask. But it raises a question that has been around since the Phillies opened Citizens Bank Park and it became apparent that it is friendly to hitters, particularly home run hitters.

With a choice of destinations, do top free-agent pitchers or studs with no-trade contracts let the park influence them?

The Phillies' pitchers say the answer is no, and their reasoning is convincing.

"If you give up a home run, it usually doesn't matter where you are," Chad Durbin said. "If you make a bad pitch, they usually do what they're supposed to do. I don't think that affects the way a pitcher thinks."

"If you're a competitive person, you want to go to the team that's the best," said Brad Lidge. "To be honest, yeah, this is a small park, but there are a lot of small parks nowadays. I think it can get overanalyzed as a difference maker."

"Hey, I was a free agent and went to Wrigley," Eyre said. "I don't think the ballpark itself comes into play when you're making a decision like that. To me, a field is just a field."

It is the way to think in their business, particularly if the home office is Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies have allowed 69 home runs in 44 home games this season, including the three given up by Cole Hamels last night before the team's exciting, late comeback for the 8-7 win.

Phillies pitchers are, in fact, not just suffering at home with the long ball. As the rotation has staggered along and the bullpen has been scorched by periods of overwork, the staff has put itself on pace to break the National League record for home runs allowed. That was the 230 allowed by the pre-humidor 2001 Colorado Rockies. Following last night's game, the Phils had allowed 122 after 85 games.

Fortunately for the Phillies, their offense has often been able to overcome the opposing run production and their defense has been able to limit big innings. But despite having the greatest home-run hitting team in the NL, they have been outhomered in their own bandbox, 69-61.

None of this might bother Halladay, a sinkerball pitcher who doesn't allow many home runs anyway. If he is given the option of joining the Philadelphia Phillies, coming to a true contender, he will put his notebooks and his charts into a suitcase and get here on the next train.

No, it probably wouldn't matter to him or any good pitcher coming to a team that can lift a pitcher from the hook just as the Phils did in the ninth last night.

"It's all relative," Durbin said. "It's just a confidence thing."

It is all relative. That's true. But here's a fact that won't shift around depending on the perspective: Giving up 230 home runs a season is too damn much.

Contact columnist Bob Ford at 215-854-5842 or bford@phillynews.com. Read his blog at http://philly.com/postpatterns.