Despite a poor outing on Saturday, Phillies ace Roy Halladay remains optimistic about the 2013 MLB season, saing he's ready for the season to begin. Halladay retired only seven of 18 batters faced in a four-inning start against the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A team from Buffalo.
"I felt strong. I was surprised," Halladay told ESPN after his first outing since leaving a start six days earlier against Baltimore because of a stomach virus. "I thought I was going to be a little wobbly, leg-wise and stuff. But I felt good. I felt like I could have easily thrown 100-plus pitches. So from that standpoint, I'm pretty happy. Arm felt great. No soreness. I don't think I'm going to feel sore tomorrow. And I felt like my stamina was there."
Halladay is still scheduled to start the Phillies' second game of the season, April 3, against the Atlanta Braves. He believes that there is no reason to alter his schedule based on how he felt Saturday.
For the fourth straight start, Halladay's fastball velocity was much lower than in his prime. He averaged 86-to-89 miles per hour this spring, only reaching 90 on one pitch in the first inning of Saturday's game.
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