Roy Halladay

CLEVELAND - While his teammates around him ate, dressed and put the finishing touches on their workday, Roy Halladay sat in the center of the room with a furrowed brow and stared. Nearly a half-hour after last night's ugly, 14-2 defeat to the Cleveland Indians became final, Halladay's in-game focus had carried over to the middle of the visiting clubhouse at Progressive Field. Without a video room for the visiting team, Halladay was in the middle of the quiet room, looking at a computer screen and intensely scrutinizing his abbreviated outing that went awry early and never got right.

Roy Halladay sought refuge in a three-year-old e-mail. He opened it again about three weeks ago and read the message sent to him before the most important game of his storied career. Until 2010, Halladay had never pitched in the postseason. He wanted advice from Harvey Dorfman, the author and sports psychologist, whose e-mails served as an appendix to Halladay's bible, The Mental ABC's of Pitching . He pitched a no-hitter in his playoff debut. And three weeks ago, Halladay, then unrecognizable, was compelled to read those words while in Miami and preparing for his third start.

IP   H    R    BB    K    OPP. BA    First two starts 71/3 12 12 6 12 .353 Last three starts 21 8 4 5 16 .118

WHEN RUBEN Amaro Jr. began to put the pricey pieces in place for what was to be the Phillies payroll in 2013, he put his faith (read: dollars) in four players. He traded for, and then signed, Roy Halladay. He gave $100 million-plus contracts to Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Those four players - Halladay, Howard, Hamels and Lee - account for more than half of the team's total payroll this season ($84.5 million of $159 million). Three weeks into the season, that investment hasn't exactly paid off. Hamels allowed only two runs, but the Phils remain winless in his starts this season as the offense went missing for the third time in the last eight games in a 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park.

After he threw 109 pitches Friday, Roy Halladay declared it "was about as close as I've felt to where I want to be. " Halladay has made four starts in 2013 and the evolution has been constant. That was more than evident in Halladay's pitch selection. He relied on his sinker more than ever while with the Phillies. Against St. Louis, Halladay threw his sinker 50 times, according to Pitch F/X data. Research by ESPN Stats & Info showed it was the most frequently Halladay has used his sinker in a game since the beginning of 2009.

It's amazing what a revived Roy Halladay and the ability to earn a free pass can do for the Phillies' fortunes. Halladay was effective for the second straight game, and the Phillies drew their first walk since Sunday during Friday's 8-2, seven-inning, rain-shortened win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 34,092 at Citizens Bank Park. Halladay allowed just two hits - solo home runs to Carlos Beltran in the second inning and Matt Holliday in the seventh. While he appeared to labor in the seventh inning, when he threw 26 pitches, Halladay didn't lose his velocity, with his fastball remaining in the 89-92-m.p.h.

MIAMI - When Laynce Nix swung to secure the 200th victory of Roy Halladay's storied career, the pitcher did not immediately see it. Halladay delivered eight satisfying innings Sunday, and while there was temptation to stay in the dugout as his teammates batted, he stuck to the plan. Halladay retreated to a back room and started his arm exercises. The game is shown with a slight delay inside the visitors clubhouse at Marlins Park. Halladay heard yelling from another room. He caught a glimpse of a TV just in time for Nix's ninth-inning solo home run. Phillies 2, Marlins 1, and 200 for Halladay.

MIAMI - Two batters after Laynce Nix launched a go-ahead home run that would send Roy Halladay and the Phillies to a 2-1 victory Sunday over the Marlins, the celebration was delayed for what looked like a serious injury. Freddy Galvis was hit with a pitch by 6-11 Miami reliever Jon Rauch. The ball came in high and hard on Galvis, hitting him in the right hand. After a brief delay, Galvis stayed in the game and felt good enough to shake hands when the final out was recorded in Halladay's 200th career win. "It's good," Galvis said of his hand.

MIAMI - The two longest-tenured players in the visiting clubhouse at Marlins Park toasted Roy Halladay with a magnum-sized champagne bottle that included a congratulatory inscription and photos of the pitcher, too. After Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were through, the soft-spoken Halladay had a chance to talk but stayed in character. He smiled, thanked them and said he'd rather have a World Series than a celebration for his 200th career win. "The personal milestones are great," Halladay said on Sunday, when he threw eight sharp innings in a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins.

And so we have arrived at another Roy Halladay start. At some point, his outings will cease receiving so much scrutiny and the hackneyed expression "it is what it is" will rule the day. Exactly how this developing story is going to end remains to be seen, but history suggests it is not going to end well for the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Oddly, this start Sunday afternoon against the Miami Marlins will be a bit of a defining one for the 35-year-old pitcher who threw a perfect game against the same franchise in 2010.