Out of Nowhere

W. Ross Clites
Your City Sports-Cleveland

Saint Louis, MISSOURI--Roy Halladay became the odds-on favorite to win the 2010 National League Cy Young Award when he signed with the Phillies last December. Switching to the Senior Circuit, where the opposing pitcher would only add to his strikeout total, made him an enticing pick.

Most experts had him as the winner. Few expected him to win it quite like this.

Many, myself included, gave up on his chances early. Nothing seemed to go smoothly for the Phillies or Halladay. He took several tough-luck losses in quick succession and his walk total began to mount, uncharacteristically.

By the end of July, Halladay already had a number eight hanging in his loss column. This was more defeats than he usually has in an entire season; Halladay had only nine losses in 2005 and 2006 combined.

His struggles were only part of the reason he appeared to be a long-shot by the All-Star Break. The other piece of the equation was a certain ace in Colorado named Ubaldo Jimenez. He stormed out to a near historic start, complete with a no-hitter. On June 30, Halladay had a 9-7 record and Jimenez was 14-1. It sure felt like a comfortable lead at the time. This only goes to show that anyone with a Cy Young under their belt should never be discounted.

Ultimately, Halladay may not win the award, but his efforts to restore candidacy sure are admirable. Then again, this is what Philadelphia paid him the big bucks to do. To those tough fans, he is finally as advertised. Call it what you want, Halladay is at the top in the Majors in Pitcher Rating... this week.

Pitcher Rating August 25

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