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Phillies Notes: Not every day is a good day for Halladay

LAKELAND, Fla. - For those expecting perfection out of Roy Halladay in each start, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has a message:

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, left, talks with catcher Carlos Ruiz during the second inning. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, left, talks with catcher Carlos Ruiz during the second inning. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)Read more

LAKELAND, Fla. - For those expecting perfection out of Roy Halladay in each start, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has a message:

"He ain't going to throw shutouts all the time. They ain't made that guy yet."

Halladay was roughed up for six extra-base hits and three runs in five innings yesterday in the Phillies' 3-0 loss to Detroit. He didn't strike out a batter, walked two, and hit one.

Still, his Grapefruit League ERA is 2.40.

"I was just kind of inconsistent," Halladay said. "It really felt like I was searching for an arm slot, and I just didn't repeat extremely well. I just left some balls over the plate, ran some balls back over the plate."

Halladay needed 30 pitches to navigate the second inning. He faced eight batters. Ramon Santiago hit a two-run triple down the right-field line.

Halladay said he was trying to find ways to fight through the ineffectiveness, and he did end up lasting five innings. He threw 88 pitches.

"Even though it's spring training, I don't think you ever throw in the towel, like it's 'one of those days,' " he said.

Halladay said he wanted to reach 100 pitches in his next start, scheduled for Thursday against Houston.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz said Halladay simply was not sharp yesterday.

"It's one of those days when everything was not going well," Ruiz said. "Everything was flat. His cutter was so-so. He threw a couple of good ones. His sinker was not very good today. It was one of those days."

Polanco plays

Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco (right-knee sprain) said that he felt "95 percent" after playing five innings of a minor-league game yesterday at the Carpenter Complex and that he was ready to return to Grapefruit League action.

Polanco injured his knee Monday during a game in Bradenton, Fla. He said yesterday that it had not bothered him "for a few days. But being spring training, they want to make sure. Give it the extra day. If we didn't have that day off Thursday, this game probably would have happened yesterday. But that extra day helped for sure."

Playing five innings yesterday, Polanco went 0 for 3, scored a run, and recorded two putouts in the field. More important, he ran well and said he felt good.

"I didn't feel anything today," Polanco said. "I went to the right, to the left, running. I ran some sprints. I didn't feel anything."

Extra bases

The Phillies were shut out for the second day in a row. . . . They reassigned pitcher Ehren Wassermann and infielder Andy Tracy to minor-league camp. . . . Jamie Moyer will make his Grapefruit League debut today against Baltimore in Clearwater.