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Phils' offense supports Halladay

DENVER - Charlie Manuel's offense delivered a well-deserved I.O.U. to Roy Halladay today, pacing the Phillies to an 8-6 victory over Colorado in which their veteran ace allowed his most runs since April 19.

Roy Halladay allowed four earned runs on eight hits and struck out seven against the Rockies on Wednesday. (Ed Andrieski/AP)
Roy Halladay allowed four earned runs on eight hits and struck out seven against the Rockies on Wednesday. (Ed Andrieski/AP)Read more

DENVER - Charlie Manuel's offense delivered a well-deserved I.O.U. to Roy Halladay today, pacing the Phillies to an 8-6 victory over Colorado in which their veteran ace allowed his most runs since April 19.

Although the Rockies scored five runs in seven innings off of Halladay, they did not exactly crush him. Just two of their eight hits went for extra bases, and they struck out seven times while walking once. Colorado scored two runs in the first inning despite managing one hit: a popped up bunt by Eric Young that fell into the infield for a single. In the next at-bat, Ryan Howard muffed a routine groundball, then unleashed a wild throw to second as Dexter Fowler headed for an extra base. Halladay retired the final three batters he faced, but was charged with an earned run as the Rockies took a 2-1 lead.

Howard made ammends at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI. Of his last 16 hits, 13 have gone for extra bases, including six home runs. His 24 home runs are tied for fourth in the National League, and his 87 RBI rank first.

The five runs Halladay allowed were his most since a 9-0 loss to the Brewers on April 19, when he allowed six runs in 6.2 innings.

The game ended with a bit of intrigue, as Manuel called on Brad Lidge to record the save, which he did with a perfect ninth inning. Yesterday, Manuel labeled closer Ryan Madson as "iffy," but did not seem to think that the righthander needed anything more than a day off after a recent heavy workload. Manuel did say that Madson continues to get daily treatment on his hand, which he bruised in May, ultimately landing him on the disabled list. After the game, the Phillies announced that Madson had gone to Los Angeles to be with his wife, who is having their child.

Lidge, who spent the first half of the season on the disabled list with shoulder and elbow problems, was appearing in his first save situation of the season.