SAN FRANCISCO — A day of public humiliation was over, and Roy Halladay slept. The Phillies were on a plane hurtling across the country Sunday night when Charlie Manuel went searching for his pitcher, the man who had failed to disclose soreness in his prized right shoulder to his employer.
“I didn’t want to wake him,” Manuel said.
The Phillies manager never talked to Halladay — not on the plane and not before Halladay traveled Monday to Los Angeles for a doctor’s appointment Tuesday that could decide the fate of his Phillies career.
There was no animosity a day later when so many questions lingered.
“I would never tell you I couldn’t play,” Manuel said. “So, yeah, I could understand that. He felt he could go out there and still pitch. He wasn’t thinking about not pitching bad or something like that; he wanted to try. Roy is an upstanding guy, a straight guy. Hey, there should be more guys like that.”
The Phillies were in a holding pattern Monday. They placed Halladay on the disabled list and summoned lefthanded reliever Joe Savery as an extra bullpen arm until a decision is rendered on Halladay’s replacement.
Halladay will undergo an examination at renowned orthopedist Lewis Yocum’s office. He said Sunday he had made two starts with the sore shoulder.
“I couldn’t speculate” on the nature of Halladay’s injury, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “I wish I knew. Hopefully, it’s something minor. Hopefully, it’s nothing major. We’ll wait to see what the testing says and go from there.”
Amaro said Halladay’s replacement, in the short term, will come from within the Phillies organization. If Halladay’s absence is long, Amaro said, he might explore an outside solution.
“There’s some players we’ll keep an eye out on,” Amaro said.
Tyler Cloyd and Adam Morgan are the realistic options for a promotion.
Cloyd, 25, has pitched well after a brutal beginning to 2013 at triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed one run in eight innings while striking out 10 during his last start, Friday against Indianapolis. He has one walk in his last 15 innings after issuing 11 in his first 20 innings.
The Phillies have a known quantity in Cloyd. He is not overpowering and must have pinpoint control for success. They bypassed him two weeks ago when John Lannan was injured, opting instead for Jonathan Pettibone. Maybe Cloyd’s recent success will help his cause, but perhaps the fact that he was passed over is indicative of how the organization views the righthander.
That could make Morgan the choice. The 23-year-old lefty pitched to rave reviews during spring training. He posted a 2.52 ERA in his first four starts at triple A. His last two outings (eight runs in 10 innings) have not been quite as sharp. He is expected to pitch Friday; his start Sunday lasted four innings and 111 pitches.
Morgan is not on the 40-man roster, which has had an opening since Ezequiel Carrera was designated for assignment last week.
Amaro was emphatic when asked if 21-year-old top prospect Jesse Biddle was a candidate.
“He’s a very young kid and he’s not ready for the big leagues, period,” Amaro said.
Lannan, on the disabled list since April 18 with a knee injury, is still operating on the original six- to eight-week timetable. His return will come in late May at the earliest.
After Friday, the Phillies do not need a fifth starter until May 21 because of two scheduled days off next week. That would allow them to skip whoever starts Friday if the results are not satisfactory.
Until the results of Halladay’s exam are revealed, the Phillies must plan for the worst with fingers crossed.
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