Roy Halladay Notches NL Leading 15th Victory
By Editorial Staff
He gave up 9 hits and didn’t make it as late into the game as fans have become accustomed, but nonetheless Roy Halladay was able to notch his NL leading 15th victory of the year last night as the Phillies topped the Dodgers 5-3.
Philadelphia took an early 3 nothing lead on a Ryan Howard single and 2 run double off the bat of Jimmy Rollins. Halladay held Los Angeles scoreless through the first four frames, eventually surrendering his only run of the game in the fifth.
Howard tacked on his NL leading 89th RBI in the 7th with a double of his own to deep right. After Antonio Bastardo finished the frame for the Phils, they carried a 4-1 lead that seemed fairly impregnable as their pen’s been one of the league’s best this season.
But LA got to Michael Stutes and Brad Lidge in the 8th for a pair of RBI singles that reduced their deficit to a single run.
The recently suspended Shane Victorino launched a solo shot in the top of the 9th to give the Phillies a slight cushion, and Ryan Madson came on finish things for Philadelphia as he was able to collect his 20th save of the season.
Halladay was credited the victory, his 4th in 4 appearances since his early exit back on July 18th. Over that span, Doc has allowed 7 runs in 28.1 innings while tallying 24 strike outs.
Leading the NL in innings pitched this season, Halladay also ranks second in ERA (2.51) and third in WHIP (1.05). These numbers leave Halladay as one of the current favorites in the NL Cy Young race.
For more on the Phillies, be sure to check out That Balls Outta Here.