Sunday was not Funday for Boston. I’m irritated that Toronto spoiled Boston’s five straight road series win streak with the rubber game victory. But in all truth, I’ve concluded that this man is just that good. Speculating that Halladay only has two starts left in his Blue Jays career, the ace of the staff is playing for keeps. He has a game Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, and a game Wednesday at Seattle. In this game, every hit and every walk was hard-earned. In 105 pitches, he made 78 for strikes and quick work of the Sox. This one was pure and simple: in his first start of the “second season,” Halladay pushed it to the limit—literally and figuratively speaking.  

      Recently, the only thing missing on Roy Halladay’s resume was a win. He hadn’t won a game since June 7th against Kansas City, and his All-Star outing was less than perfect. In fact, the 2009 start was his second worst outing since 2002 when he gave up three hits, a home run, and three earned in just one inning. Yet for some reason, Halladay is at his best against the Sox – and last night pitched a complete game on six hits and one earned run. It was his 7th win and fourth complete game this year at the Rogers Centre, and he certainly left 36,534 on the edge of their seats.  

      When Jon Lester wanted a piece of the action, he got stuck in the mud. The kid Lester has been very disciplined as of late, but was no match for the sound and fury of Rod Barajas, who drove in all three runs for Toronto. On an average night, Lester’s outing would have been enough to defeat his opponent, but simply put, he was out pitched. 

Rule of Thumb: 

      Roy Halladay is a work horse. In a game where the only the fittest survive, Halladay must be in a league of his own. At 32, Halladay now is the lock stock and barrel of complete game pitchers. For the life of me, I can’t think of the last time someone had such a position of power going into the trading deadline, and he is well on his way to seizing the opportunistic moment, only one game removed from his highly publicized start.

      “I really believe being able to handle it at the All-Star game, as much of a circus as that was, it kind of allowed me to get back here and put it out of my mind and get back to my job,” Halladay told the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday after his win against Boston.

      Manager Cito Gaston agreed that the media might have hindered Halladay’s performance in St. Louis. “I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of things going through his mind. It wouldn’t be human not to have those sorts of things going through, wondering where he might go or where he’d like to go.”

      Everyone agrees: this man is on the move. 

Time = money: 

      So now the question becomes, how long? How long before this bandwagon moves out of town? The Rangers have now become a threat to steal—but it doesn’t seem feasible for a team without any true chance to compete with the Yankees and Sox in the playoffs to reel in a pricey pitcher like Halladay. Are they willing to give up first baseman Justin Smoak and two young pitchers? Or have the Red Sox upped the ante on this deal? We all know Theo is weighing his options carefully, and times a tickin.

      And what’s another game for Halladay in a Blue Jays uniform? Does his price get more expensive by the day? Sox brass “thought [he] should have been traded yesterday… to a national league team.” Will two more starts really make a difference to the Toronto season? Do they still feel the need to hold their hand and play spoiler to the AL’s best?

      Too many questions, too little time. Sounds like an interesting price point to me. 

It could be worse: 

      It could be worse, if the New York Yankees steal Roy Halladay. Are the Sox ready to give up the hunt? Trading for Roy Halladay means a starting line up of Beckett, Lester, Wakefield, Penny, and no Smoltzy, and maybe even negates the idea of inviting Buchholz to the line up. Smoltz will be stuck in the pen—three top prospects will be gone and even worse, the Sox will eventually prepare to upend their starting rotation in the off-season—placing someone else on the trading block. Why not keep everything where it is? Trading for Halladay will throw a wrench in the works; and it only works if you like uncertainty. 

      All in all? I say it’s a no-go. If the Sox keep sliding, blame it on the humidity, not the heat. The air is dense with trade talk, and the slim pickings are bloating expectations and making this man too big for his britches. Roy Halladay might be the contemporary pillar of society, but I vote to axe the issue. Let’s hope I’m right as rain.