Roy Halladay

SAN FRANCISCO - If the Phillies had information Tuesday regarding Roy Halladay's health, they were not sharing it with the world. A cloud of uncertainty remained over their rotation and the star righthander's future. Halladay saw a doctor Tuesday, this much is sure. But the Phillies did not release any further updates. It was unknown exactly when during the day Halladay saw Neal ElAttrache, the Dodgers' team physician, in Los Angeles, and what tests were performed. An MRI examination was expected.

I CAN'T put any blame on Phillies management for this. If your two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher tells you he feels fine and wants to pitch, you send him out there. I can't put too much blame on Roy Halladay, because he's a competitor. The reason he has won 201 major league games and a Cy Young in both the National and American leagues is because of his mentality to take the ball when it is his turn and fight through adversity to the bitter end. Still, there has to be some better means of communication between player and front office.

THE STRETCH RUN began around 5:30 p.m. yesterday. Fresh off a 14-2 thrashing at the hands of the worst team in the National League, the Phillies dressed in silence and headed to the airport for the start of a 4-week window that could very well dictate how much meaningful baseball they play for the rest of the season. Of their next 22 games, 19 will feature opponents who entered Sunday with a winning record. They are 5-14 against such teams this season, a winning percentage that, if maintained, would leave them around 22-32 on the final day of May. The arrival at such a juncture would force the Phillies to consider turning their attention to 2014 and beyond, a process that would involve a number of difficult conversations, including those with their tradable veterans, most of whom can exert at least some control over where they land thanks to clauses in their contracts.

The Phillies scored only two runs on five hits combined during two consecutive losses to the Miami Marlins. Jump-starting the offense won't be easy Monday night when they open a three-game series in San Francisco against the Giants. The Phillies will face 23-year-old lefthander Madison Bumgarner, who is off to a sizzling start. Bumgarner, who is 2-0 with a 0.00 career record in two World Series games, is 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA this season. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his six starts.

A teammate of Roy Halladay for three seasons, Placido Polanco says he is pulling for the Phillies righthander. After a 14-2 defeat against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, Halladay told reporters Sunday that he has been suffering from right-shoulder discomfort. He said he would be examined after the team travels to San Francisco on Monday. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said it is likely that Halladay will be placed on the disabled list. After seeing Halladay struggle and then hearing of his injury, Polanco could only offer best wishes for his former teammate.

ALTHOUGH THE Phillies have yet to announce who will join their rotation when they place Roy Halladay on the disabled list, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. may have tipped his hand when he said that the team first has to "figure out what we are going to do with our roster. " While Triple A righthanders Tyler Cloyd and Ethan Martin are on the 40-man roster, lefty Adam Morgan is not. The Phillies, however, have a spot open because they only have 39 on the 40-man roster. That would mean either placing a player on the 60-day disabled list or designating someone for assignment.

Roy Halladay says there is a reason he has been lit up in his last two starts, which may or may not be a relief to the Phillies. After Sunday's 14-2 loss to the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, Halladay said he has been suffering from right-shoulder discomfort, which he began feeling the day after his last strong outing, April 24 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since then, Halladay has suffered consecutive 14-2 defeats, first at Cleveland on Tuesday and then Sunday against a Miami team that entered the day with 84 runs in 31 games, the lowest total in the major leagues.

The Phillies were hoping for the best from Roy Halladay. They owed him $20 million, so when you're talking about that much money for a guy who has earned just as much in terms of respect as he has in dollars, you're going to hand him the baseball until he says he can't take it anymore. Halladay, after what had to be one of the most difficult days of his career, finally said "enough" on Sunday. He registered just seven outs and surrendered nine runs to a Miami Marlins team that had gone an entire week earlier this season without scoring that many times.

Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay denounced critical comments about Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee made by former Phillies reliever and current MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams. In a Friday radio interview on WIP-FM (94.1), Williams said the Phillies need a new pitching coach. "It is not personal," Williams said. "I think these pitchers have to hear something new. " The Phillies have struggled not only in pitching but all facets of the game. They entered Friday 26th in the major leagues with a 4.42 ERA. Halladay, one of the pitchers that Williams suggested hasn't been helped by Dubee, talked to reporters before Friday's game at Citizens Bank Park against the Miami Marlins.

CLEVELAND - Roy Halladay sat alone on the dugout bench at Progressive Field. He placed his glove and cap there before whipping a white towel through the air to his sweat-soaked face. He crawled into his puffy jacket, put his hand on his chin, and sulked in the fourth inning of a 14-2 Phillies loss to the Indians. Eleven of the 21 batters he saw Tuesday reached base. Eight of them scored. Three of them hit two-run homers. "The best thing about that was we got through it," Charlie Manuel said.