Gut punch moment

Had the universe not collapsed on itself last Friday, when Roy Halladay stepped off the mound in the fourth inning and caused my heart to skip multiple beats, the Good Doctor would be taking his turn in the rotation tonight to follow up on a fantastic come-from-behind win against the Phillies last night.

Instead, we get Scott Richmond.

It only seems so bad because of what could have been, but Richmond has been effective in most of his starts this year even though I’m constantly thinking of impending doom when he’s on the mound. He’s 4-3 with a 3.90 ERA this year, so I’ll take a deep breath and approach tonight’s game with cautious optimism.

One’s outlook can only grow more rosy when you consider that Jamie Moyer is the opposing pitcher and that over his career he’s been knocked around by many of the current Blue Jays. His dreadful 6.11 ERA this year  should make for yummy birdfeed. Let’s just hope the boys in blue (or is it black, gray or white tonight?) can push runners across the plate when given the opportunity…

Meanwhile, it looks like Halladay might be available to pitch on Saturday against the Reds, but might be held back for fear that he might have to run the bases. Add one more notch on my scoreboard of disdain for the DH rule. It’s gotten to the point where AL teams coddle pitchers so much that just the prospect of having to swing a bat or run 360 feet is enough to put them on the shelf next to the china. We wouldn’t be having this problem if AL pitchers were asked to hit more often.

If he’s ready to pitch, which is one of the most violent actions a human can do to his body in the world of sports, surely he can take a few half-assed swings at the ball or run around the bases. Saying he’s being held back because of the lack of the DH rule sounds more like anti-National League propaganda to me.